


The Werewolf of Beacon

by pixlh3art, SeleneLawfulGood



Series: The Werewolf of Beacon [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: "modern" world, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Cybersecurity major!Velvet, F/F, Floof Au, Getting to Know Each Other, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pack Bonding, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Werehare!Velvet, Werewolf AU, Werewolf Hunting, Werewolf!Ruby, Wolf POV, Wolf Pack, and also gay dating snuggling but neither character knows that yet, and they're all dating, awooooooo, basically imagine the real world but with the RWBY continents and then also there's lycanthropy, bees are already dating, bonding over 80s music, brushie brushie, brushing each other, but I PROMISE there's no a/b/o stuff, casual nudity, college au., college floof au, dumb weird fluffy werewolf stuff, fears of being predatory, fencer!Weiss, freshman!ruby, freshman!weiss, great cook!Ruby, i promise it's just fun floofy stuff there's no weird sex, it's about the found family, it's not an a/b/o fic, junior!yang, like look it takes place in the "real" world but also werewolves exist so, lots of platonic snuggling, mentions of blood and such, oh my god they were roommates, one Somewhat Graphic Hunting Scene, romantic self-doubt/worry, shockingly weiss' dad is the worst, some Werewolf Fantasy Violence, sophomore!blake, the Happy Huntresses are all werewolves, vampire!Robyn, vampire!Winter, weiss and ruby are both very oblivious, weiss and ruby are roommates, witch!Coco Adel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 190,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22397368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixlh3art/pseuds/pixlh3art, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneLawfulGood/pseuds/SeleneLawfulGood
Summary: Weiss Schnee begins her freshman year at Beacon College and meets her roommate, totally normal college student Ruby Rose.However, Ruby isn't exactly good at keeping her rather supernatural secret...
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: The Werewolf of Beacon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717180
Comments: 873
Kudos: 1304





	1. Move-In

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first RWBY fic! I took a lot of inspiration for the werewolf mechanics from a little fic here on AO3 called "Sing for Me" (found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380540/chapters/22925550) and if you haven't checked this out please read it, it's an absolutely incredible fic.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy The Werewolf of Beacon...

Ruby flopped down on her bed, finally done unpacking. Her dad and Yang had left about an hour ago, once they’d gotten all of her things in from the car. She stretched and yawned as her scroll buzzed. 

_ Yang: Did your new roomie get there yet? _

Ruby rolled on to her side, swiped open her phone and lazily typed out a reply with one hand.

_ Not yet.  _

_ Finally got all my boxes unpacked, though.  _

_ Thanks for helping with that, btw. _

_ I told you, I have homework! _

_ Classes haven’t started yet. _

_ Well when you’re a junior they don’t wait for classes to start before crushing you with work. _

_ That’ll be you somedayyyy~ _

_ Ugh really? _

_ Enjoy your youth while you can, dear sister. _

_ Lol love you<3 _

_ Love you too<3 _

Ruby rolled her eyes at Yang’s antics and rolled off of her bed. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the gargantuan pile of stuff that she had made from the contents of her boxes. “Okay,” Ruby said aloud to herself. “I can totally do this. I’m gonna get organized and put things in the right places, and… yeah.”

Her room was surprisingly nice, for a freshman dorm. Yang had told her that Beacon College was like that, which Ruby was very grateful for - she could vividly remember her dad’s stories about his college days with Qrow, and how they apparently had just thirty square feet to their name during their first year. 

The room was listed as a “studio double” apartment, so it was mostly all one chamber. There was a tiny kitchenette right by the front door, with little more than an oven/stove hybrid, refrigerator, and sink. Across from the kitchen was a door that led to a small but private bathroom. Ruby’s bed was in the far corner, and her desk was against the wall opposite the front door. Her short dresser was at the foot of her bed, and a tiny (apparently shared) closet took up the very small amount of wall space between her bed and the kitchen.

On the other half of the room was an almost identical setup, with the two desks actually touching one another. Ruby was a little concerned about that, because if she and her roommate didn’t get along, then that would make homework  _ very _ awkward.

Ruby was around halfway through moving all of her kitchenware into the cabinets when she heard the door beep once. She recognized the sound from when she’d unlocked it herself. Ruby fumbled the several objects in her hands for a moment - this was about to be her first impression with her new roommate! 

“How am I supposed to be standing? What would a normal person be doing the first time that they met their roommate??? What if she’s mean and judges me?!?!?”

* * *

“This appears to be your room, Miss Schnee,” Klein said.

“Yes. Thank you for helping me carry everything, Klein.”

“Of course, ma’am. Though I do apologize that Mr. and Mrs. Schnee weren’t available to help you move in.”

Weiss sighed. She knew that he was only trying to be polite, but she was honestly grateful that neither of her parents were there to help her move in. She’d chosen Beacon College over Atlas University for a few reasons, but by far the largest one was to get some distance from her family. Especially since Winter had started going to Atlas U, and had been making excuses to stay there for every holiday since.

Weiss pressed her brand-new card up against the door’s electronic lock. As soon as she did, she heard a small amount of clanging and a high-pitched, feminine voice saying something incomprehensible. This gave Weiss pause.

“M-miss Schnee?” Klein asked. 

“Sorry,” Weiss said. She punched in her code, took a breath, and pushed open the door.

A small yelp was heard, followed by several clanging sounds. Weiss stood in the doorway and stared.

A young woman stood before her, awkwardly balancing on one foot, surrounded by a small number of pots and pans around her on the floor. Evidently, she had dropped them all, and startled herself with the sound.

The girl had short black hair, dyed red at the tips. Her clothing was  _ remarkably _ casual, just a solid red tank top and black sweatpants with Beacon College’s insignia in white on her right leg. Her feet were bare, and Weiss could see the straps of her bra next to those of her tank top. Curiously, her eyes were a very pale grey - almost like silver. 

They stared at each other for a moment, completely frozen. Slowly, awkwardly, the girl returned to a neutral stance, putting her hand on the back of her head in embarrassment.   
“Um, hi,” she said. She stuck out a hand, which Weiss made no move to touch. “I’m Ruby Rose. It’s, uh, really nice to meet you!” An obnoxiously massive grin immediately found its way to her petite, round face.

“Weiss Schnee,” Weiss said, desperately trying to recover some of her dignity after startling the girl like this. “It....  _ appears _ that we will be living together.”

“Yup!” Ruby replied. “Uh - here, lemme get out of your way…” Ruby then spent the next several seconds picking up the four or five kitchen elements that she’d dropped, barely able to hold them all at once. She let them haphazardly spill out of her arms onto the kitchen counter, finally giving Weiss the space to actually walk into the apartment. 

Sighing dramatically, Weiss quickly strode past her helpless roommate, putting her suitcase on her bed and her backpack in her desk chair. Klein silently walked behind her, carrying a stack of three neatly-labeled boxes. He set them down at the foot of her bed.

“Shall I help you unpack, Miss Schnee, or should I make another trip?”

“Another trip, if you don’t mind,” Weiss said over her shoulder as she began to open her backpack. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he said. “I shall return shortly.”

“Here,” Ruby said. “Lemme prop the door open for you, so you can get back in.” Weiss watched her reach into a small, disorganized pile of shoes near the entrance, retrieve a single red sneaker, and jam it into the path of the door, preventing it from fully closing.

“Ah,” Klein said, likely as perplexed by this girl’s mannerisms as Weiss, though he was definitely better at hiding it than she was. Weiss figured that it was a part of his job. “Thank you, Miss…?”

“Ruby!” Ruby chirped. “Uh, Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Miss Rose,” Klein said, giving a little bow. Ruby’s eyebrow raised, and Weiss could immediately tell that she’d never been called “Miss Rose” before. Klein gently pulled open the door and left the room. Too late, Weiss realized that that meant she was trapped here, alone with this… girl.

Weiss enjoyed a bit of silence for a moment, setting up her computer at her desk. The very large pile of objects that Ruby had apparently stacked on to her adjacent desk was concerning to Weiss, though she  _ hoped _ that Ruby was in the process of putting those things away.

“Soooooooo…” Ruby said. Weiss resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the loss of her blissful silence. “Who was that helping you move in? He, uh, didn’t seem like your dad or anything.” Weiss’ eyebrow twitched just slightly, annoyed that Ruby’s choice of icebreaker was a rather invasive, personal question. 

“That’s Klein,” she said, keeping her tone neutral. 

“Cool,” Ruby said, closing the cabinet where she’d put all of her kitchen things. “Is he, like, a family friend or something, or…?” Weiss sighed. 

“He’s my family’s butler,” she explained. “He accompanied me from Atlas to help me move in.”

“Whoa, you’re from Atlas?” Ruby asked, as if it were an incredibly exotic place, and not one of the four major continents on the planet. “You must have flown a long way.”

“Yes, I have, and I’m  _ very _ tired from the trip,” Weiss lied. She’d flown in yesterday and slept very well. “I’d rather focus on unpacking, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, sure!” Ruby said. “Sorry.”

Weiss let out a breath, happy for the return of quiet. Well, relative quiet. Ruby had finished moving her things into the kitchen and bathroom, so she was now setting up a large number of posters on the wall above her bed. She kept making little sounds of exertion as she stretched up to reach some part of the wall, often muttering under her breath about where to put things.

“Oh!” Ruby said. “Almost forgot.”

Weiss gave her a look.

“Sorry. Uh, here, this might help.” She slid a decently-sized box out from under her bed. It was poorly duct-taped together, but once Ruby opened it with an artist’s Xacto knife, Weiss could see over her shoulder that it had been packaged with a level of care that Weiss would not have previously imagined was possible for Ruby.

She grunted, lifting with her knees as she pulled out a huge silver box, short and wide. Carefully, she rested it on top of her dresser, then returned to the box with two tall and thin speakers. She caught Weiss staring, but before Weiss could look away in embarrassment, she said, “I figured I could put some music on. Would that be okay?”

“I suppose,” Weiss replied. Some ambient noise to drown out Ruby’s constant fidgeting sounds would be very welcome. “Though… I can’t say I’ve ever seen something like that before.”

“Oh, yeah,” Ruby said. “It’s, uh, my mom’s old stereo. It plays cassettes and stuff. It’s a bit old-fashioned, but the sound quality is great!” Weiss wouldn’t have imagined Ruby to be an audiophile. “Wanna listen to classic stuff, or, like, actual recent music?”

“Whichever,” Weiss replied. “As long as it’s not too distracting.”

“Easy listening, huh?” Ruby asked. “I can do that.” She reached into the box and dug through a large stack of cassette tapes in plastic cases before finally settling on one. At a glance, Weiss could tell that it was a custom mix, its track list handwritten in a black pen.

Ruby spent the next three minutes or so quietly wiring the stereo to the speakers, and then she inserted the cassette and pressed Play. Weiss had to admit, it  _ was _ a rather interesting change of pace to watch the cassette physically spin instead of just listening to something on her scroll.

After a few seconds, a light melody came in - either guitar or synthesizer, she couldn’t tell. True to her word, Ruby was apparently playing something mostly relaxing.

“I like it,” Weiss declared after a moment. “Thank you.”

“You can never go wrong with the ‘80s,” she said. “Or, I guess, in this case, ‘79.”

Weiss couldn’t help her curiosity. “What’s the song?”

“It’s called ‘Goodbye Stranger,’ by Supertramp!” Ruby said. “It was written in ‘79, but I’m playing the 2010 remaster.” She gave an embarrassed grin. “Sorry, I’m a huge music nerd.”

Weiss simply hummed in response. Perhaps this roommate situation wouldn’t be  _ too _ terrible after all.

* * *

Ruby heard the door open again as the well-dressed man that Weiss had brought with her returned to their room.

“Apologies for the delay, Miss Schnee,” he grunted, pushing the door open with his back, a stack of boxes in his hands, with a long, cylindrical gym bag hanging from one arm. “I had to repark the car in a parking garage, and there was a delay downstairs because the representatives were expecting a parent…”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Klein,” she heard Weiss reply. “I should have gone with you, I would have been able to clear that up, and to help you carry.” She moved to help him set her boxes down. Ruby watched with astonishment as he pulled an honest-to-goodness  _ handkerchief _ out of his pocket to wipe his forehead.

“Thank you, Miss Schnee,” he said, clearly winded from carrying all of that with him.

“Here, sit down for a moment to catch your breath,” Weiss said, gently leading him to her desk chair.

“A-are you sure, Miss Schnee?” He asked. “Your fath-”

“What my father doesn’t hear about won’t hurt him,” Weiss replied instantly, sitting Klein down. He nodded gratefully for a moment, relaxing in the chair. Weiss gave him a smile and started opening one of the boxes that he had brought with a pair of scissors.

Ruby was very surprised. At first she had Weiss pegged for a standard hoity-toity rich girl, literally bringing her  _ butler _ to help her move in (Ruby was also confident that her outfit cost about as much as Taiyang made in a month), but perhaps she should re-evaluate that first impression.

“I say…” Klein said after a moment. “Pardon the interruption, ma’ams, but… is this ‘Lake Shore Drive?’”

“Yep!” Ruby said. 

“Ah, I remember buying this record in my youth,” Klein said, eyes glazed over with nostalgia. “I’m surprised that… younger people are still listening to it these days.” Ruby giggled.

“My mom was really into old music,” Ruby said. She laughed at a memory. “My dad says that she was allergic to anything written after 1989.”

Klein let out a polite laugh at that, and for a while, Ruby’s cassette player was the only sound in the room.

“Well, thank you, Miss Schnee,” Klein said, standing up from her chair. “Is there anything else that I may assist you with?”

Weiss stopped for a minute, considering that. She looked around her half-unpacked room for a moment, then sighed.

“No, Klein, I figure that you should probably be getting back,” She said. Contemptuously, she added, “Wouldn’t want to keep Father waiting.”

“Indeed,” he replied, with a courteous nod. To Ruby, he said, “It was lovely meeting you, Miss Rose. I hope that you and Miss Schnee have a wonderful semester.”

“Oh, uhm, thanks so much!” Ruby said. She hadn’t at  _ all _ been expecting that, and was embarrassed at how she’d fumbled her response.

Weiss stood up from one of her boxes, reaching up on her tiptoes to give him a hug. The balding man blinked in surprise, but soon returned her embrace.

“I’m going to miss you, Klein,” she said.

“And I you, Miss Schnee,” he replied.   
Ruby felt like a horrible interloper as she witnessed the exchange. The moment that Weiss started to leave his embrace, her head whipped back to facing the decorations on her wall, pretending that she hadn’t been watching.

“Have a safe trip!” Weiss called after Klein. After a moment, Ruby heard their door quietly click shut.

Silence filled the air for a while, heavy as lead. Ruby could tell that Weiss was having a bit of an emotional moment, and while she wanted to give her her privacy, there was also nowhere else for her to be. She sat on her knees, frozen, completely unsure of what - if anything - to do or say.

Weiss sighed, still facing the door. Ruby carefully looked over her shoulder, and was immediately caught by Weiss. They just stared at each other for a moment, in complete silence.

“Oh!” Ruby said. “I, uh, I have to flip the tape.” She quickly but quietly made her way to her stereo, incredibly grateful for the excuse to do something. After a few seconds, music filled the room once more, and Ruby’s shoulders fell down from her ears in relief as the semi-comfortable atmosphere that they’d been enjoying slowly returned with it.

Things were going to be just fine.

She hoped.

* * *

Weiss had finally put away all of her things. She felt somewhat bad about taking up three quarters of their shared closet, but Ruby assured her that it was no big deal. She put her hands on her hips, satisfied with how pleasant and organized her half of the room was. Everything was color-matched, and her decorations were minimalist, but tasteful.

She turned to see Ruby’s half of the room, which was essentially controlled chaos - definitely closer to the latter than the former. She was lying on her bed, flicking through her scroll. The wall above her was covered in artwork and old band posters, just slightly misaligned with each other. She had a pillow meant to serve as a backrest at the head of her bed, and its blue did not at all match the red of her comforter. Her clothes were mostly in her dresser, but some of the drawers slightly bulged outwards from being overfilled. A red hoodie was sitting on the back of her desk chair, plus a few flannel shirts and a tote bag hung haphazardly from her bedposts. A ton of boxes were underneath her bed, opened but not yet broken down. Lastly, her desk had multiple cups of pencils and even paintbrushes strewn about, plus a sketchbook or two. Her laptop was plugged in, resting off-center, and she’d flipped the shelf that came with her desk upside-down. This, Weiss assumed, had been done so that she could rest an external monitor on the bottom side of the shelf, where it would be at approximately her eye level. A large lamp sat next to the monitor, and a pair of wireless on-ear headphones were hung on its neck.

“Are… are you an artist?” Weiss asked, trying to make conversation. 

“Mm? Oh, yup!” Ruby said, looking up from her scroll. “Studio art major. I generally prefer traditional art, but the recruiter people told me I’d probably have to do digital stuff too.” She shrugged. “How about you? What’s your major?”

“Political science,” Weiss responded. 

“Cool!” Ruby said. She paused. “What’s political science?” Weiss snorted.

“It’s fancy talk for ‘I want to be a lawyer,’” she said.

“Oh,” Ruby said. “Do… do you want to be a lawyer?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Weiss replied.

“Cool!” Ruby said again. She checked her scroll. “Oh, uh, hey,” She asked Weiss. “Do you have any dinner plans?”  
Weiss didn’t.

“Why do you ask?” 

“I just got a text from my sister, she said she’d take me to a restaurant near campus because I don’t have any groceries yet. Wanna come?”

Weiss also realized that  _ she _ hadn’t bought any groceries, either. 

“I… um, I’d like to!” Weiss replied. “What should I wear? Black-tie?”

Ruby looked at her like she had spoken a foreign language. She sighed, gesturing to her white dress and knee-high boots. 

“Am I already overdressed?”

“Probably,” Ruby said. “ _ I _ should definitely change, though.” Unceremoniously, she started pulling off her top, making Weiss nearly yelp in surprise before quickly turning around and tightly shutting her eyes.

“Oh, uh… sorry,” Ruby said. “Here, I’ll just be a second.”

Weiss stared at the wall like her life depended on it. Only a small amount of time passed, but it felt like an eternity. After she heard Ruby close her dresser drawer for the second time, she shakily asked, “Are you decent?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. When Weiss slowly turned back around, she’d changed into a red t-shirt with an abstract design of a rose emblazoned on it in white, as well as a simple pair of black pants. She was sitting on her bed, halfway through tying on one red sneaker.

Weiss took the opportunity to put her scroll and her wallet into a small clutch, checking her hair in her makeup mirror. Her long, asymmetrical ponytail was still in good shape. She touched up her eyeliner a little bit, and smoothed out her dress.

“Ready?” Ruby asked. Unlike Weiss, she wore no makeup, and was apparently carrying her own scroll and wallet in her back pockets.

“Yes,” Weiss said. “Oh, um, where are we going?” Ruby chuckled.

“How do you feel about burgers?”

* * *

Ruby and Weiss returned to their room, full and tired. 

“I would never have imagined that you loved cheeseburgers,” Ruby joked.

“I had one at an airport once,” Weiss said. “Our flight was delayed by weather and all of the other restaurants were closed, so my parents reluctantly bought us fast food. It’s been my guilty pleasure ever since.”

Ruby laughed at that.

“I think I’m gonna shower,” she said. “Do you want the bathroom first?”

“No, thank you,” Weiss replied. Ruby nodded, grabbed a towel from her suitcase, and headed into the bathroom.

Weiss sat down at her desk and reflected on her strange day. Ruby and her sister were certainly more… bombastic than the company that she was used to, but Yang’s girlfriend Blake had been rather lovely. She couldn’t imagine how somebody so quiet was dating the rambunctious blonde, but they seemed to make it work. 

With the room effectively to herself for a moment, Weiss took her time removing her makeup and changing for bed. She sighed with relief after finally getting into her comfortable bed clothes. She was around halfway through her evening skincare routine when she heard the shower turn off. The door to the bathroom opened a few minutes later, and Ruby walked out with a towel wrapped around her body. 

Weiss wasn’t looking at that, though. 

She was utterly frozen, staring just above Ruby’s head.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked. “What is it?”

Weiss blinked several times. 

“Um… what are those?” Weiss asked, pointing. Ruby’s heart stopped. Her hand whipped up to the top of her head, dropping the towel in surprise. Ruby winced as her fingers made contact with a red, furry ear. 

She looked at Weiss, about to explain, and then realized that she’d dropped the towel. Embarrassed, she wrapped her tail around her legs to cover herself.

Wait. Her tail was out.

Oh no.

“Um…” Ruby began. “You… probably have a lot of questions…”

Weiss stared at her, absolutely speechless.

“But… uh… would you believe me if I told you that I’m a werewolf?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think. I'm really looking forward to this AU, so I hope you all are as interested in it as I am!
> 
> Also this is my first time posting in an actual big, active fandom so please be nice okay thank you bye<3
> 
> -Red


	2. Secrets and Swords

“YOU’RE A  **WHAT???** ” Weiss shouted in disbelief. Ruby immediately winced, desperately gesturing for Weiss to keep her voice down.

“It’s not a huge deal, I swear -”

“NOT A HUGE DEAL???” Weiss replied, almost hysterical. Before, she’d thought that maybe Ruby was just pulling her leg with a Halloween costume or something, but after taking a closer look, her ears were  _ moving _ as she spoke. Her tail was fluffed up in alarm, and it appeared that she’d consciously wrapped it around her waist to cover herself. 

“Weiss  _ please _ just keep your voice down and I promise I’ll explain it -”

“I must be hallucinating. Either that or I’ve just finally gone crazy. You can’t possibly be a  _ werewolf - _ ”

“Weiss!” Ruby closed the distance between them and grabbed her by the shoulders now, shutting her up. A very, very small part of Weiss’ brain was able to register that she was currently staring into the determined silver eyes of a  _ very _ naked Ruby Rose, whose body was suddenly inches away from hers. Exasperated, Ruby said, “I promise I can explain, just  _ please _ stop yelling or someone will hear you.”

And, as if summoned, there was a knock at their door. 

“Residential life!” Somebody called out. Ruby immediately panicked, searching for something to hide behind.

“Uh, just a second!” Ruby shouted towards the door. “I just got out of the shower!”

“Can’t you put those away?” Weiss hissed.

“Normally, yes!” Ruby tersely replied. “I don’t know why -”

“Residential life!” The voice said, knocking again. 

“Put some clothes on or something!” Weiss said under her breath. Panicking, Ruby looked around until finally grabbing her towel and diving back into the bathroom, apparently leaving Weiss to answer the door.

“Residential life, keying i-” Weiss opened the door, suddenly face-to-face with a tall, fashionable brunette, who was apparently poised to key open their door. “Oh, uhm, hello.” She said.

“Good evening,” Weiss replied, feeling very under-dressed in her pajamas. “How can I help you?”

“My name’s Coco, I’m your RA,” the girl said. “I was coming by to meet everybody on my floor, but I heard shouting and I wanted to make sure everything was all right…”

“Oh!” Weiss said.  _ Come on, make up a lie, you lie to Father all the time… _

“So… is something going on?” Coco asked, narrowing her eyes at Weiss.

“No, no!” Weiss said. “I’m sorry, I must not have realized how loud I was, with my, er… rehearsal.”

“... rehearsal?” Coco asked, doubtful.

“Yes!” Weiss said. “I… um, I’m an opera singer, and there’s this one song that I’m practicing where I have to just completely break character and rhythm and everything and just… shout. It’s supposed to be a super emotional moment, but I’m struggling with it because it’s so different from what I normally do...”

“... I see.” Coco said. She appeared to believe Weiss’ story, but was just rather confused by the whole affair. “Well, it was nice to meet you, uh…”

“Weiss!” Weiss replied. “Weiss Schnee. Pleasure to meet you, Coco.”

“Yeah, you too,” Coco said. “Is your roommate around?”  
“Uh, nope!” Weiss said. “I think she’s visiting her sister or something.”

“All right,” Coco said. “Well, have a nice evening. Sorry to bother you.” She turned away for a moment, and then turned back, adding, “Try to keep it down a little bit though, yeah? There are soundproofed rehearsal rooms in the library if you want to practice more.”

“Oh, thank you!” Weiss said. “I’ll do that in the future.”

“Have a nice rest of your night,” Coco said. She left, and Weiss closed the door, gratefully leaning against it. She sighed, amazed that she’d gotten away with her lie. She didn’t even know if she  _ should _ be lying for Ruby’s sake, but it was apparently the choice that she’d made in the moment. She walked over to the bathroom door.

“Ruby?” Weiss asked. “It was just our RA checking in, but she’s gone now. You can come out now, and once you do, you  _ really _ owe me some answers.”

She heard a low whine - almost like that of a dog - and some scratching at the door.

“... Ruby?” Weiss asked. “Are you okay?”

Another low whine.

“Is everything all right? Sh-should I come in, or…?”  
Her curiosity finally got the better of her, and Weiss tepidly turned the handle to their bathroom. Slowly, carefully, she pushed the door open.

As she did, she was face-to-face with a very large, very guilty-looking brown wolf, sitting back on its haunches.

Weiss was barely able to restrain herself from screaming as she leapt back from the door in surprise. The wolf made a slightly shocked  _ woof _ in surprise, recoiling a bit.

She and the wolf just stared at one another for a moment, blue eyes looking into silver ones. Wait… silver?

“... Ruby?” Weiss asked. Slowly, shamefully, the brown wolf gave her an approximation of how a human would nod. She began to stand, padding towards Weiss. She made a deep sound in her throat, which made Weiss jump back again. Ruby recoiled too, but Weiss’ nerves were so frayed at this point, she dove for the cylindrical gym bag under her bed. She quickly unzipped it and reached inside, her hand wrapping around the familiar handle.

* * *

Ruby winced internally as her slight cough made Weiss jump back and dive for her gym bag. She knew that this had to be completely shocking for her, but she’d been hoping for this whole situation to be a bit more delicate.

Weiss stood up from her gym bag, and to Ruby’s utter shock, she pulled out an  _ actual freaking sword, _ which she pointed threateningly at Ruby.

“Don’t come any closer!” Weiss said, nearly shouting. “I  _ will _ use this.”

Ruby closed her eyes in frustration, commanding herself to take a deep breath. If she provoked Weiss any further she might  _ actually _ get stabbed, and even though the rapier didn’t appear to be silvered, it would still really hurt. 

Ruby exhaled, and lied down in the middle of the floor, trying to look as non-threatening as she possibly could. She opened her eyes again, head resting on her front paws. She let her tongue roll out of her mouth, hoping that that would help.

“Okay.” Weiss said. Very slowly, she lowered the rapier, but still kept a firm grip on it. “So… this. This is you.”

Slowly, carefully, Ruby nodded. 

“I’ll take that as a yes? Weiss asked. “Make one sound for yes, two sounds for no.”

Ruby let out one very small bark.

“Is this what you always look like on a full moon?”

Two barks.

“Can you change back?”

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment, exhaled, then gave two barks.

“Why not?”

Ruby stared at her.

“Right, right, you can’t talk. Let me…” Weiss searched around her desk for her scroll. She felt a tiny bit ridiculous while still holding her fencing rapier, but it gave her comfort, so she kept it in her hand. She flicked her scroll open and searched “moon tonight” on her phone’s browser. 

“Um… apparently tonight there’s something called a ‘super moon?’” Weiss asked. Ruby snorted, which Weiss assumed was either an angry or frustrated sound. She clicked further into the article, and learned that a ‘super moon’ could occur in any phase. Tonight it was only a half moon, but the moon was at its closest possible point to the earth - did that mean it could still affect Ruby?

“Wait, just - really quick. Your… um, transformations… those  _ are _ influenced by the moon, right?”

One bark.

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure.” Ruby let out a deep sound that could almost be interpreted as a chuckle.

“Hey, I don’t know!” Weiss said. “I’ve never exactly met an  _ actual real-life werewolf _ before!”

Ruby just stared at her, waiting patiently.

“Sorry.” Weiss said. She rubbed her temples with her non-sword hand. “This is just… a  _ lot _ to take in right now.” Ruby made a sympathetic sound, and very slowly padded towards Weiss. Before Weiss could really notice that she’d sat down right in front of her, she felt a very gentle lick on her hand. 

For the slightest moment, Weiss forgot that the creature before her was her sometimes-human roommate. All she saw was a big dog in front of her licking her hand, so without even thinking, she gave Ruby a scratch behind her ears.

Ruby let out a low, pleased sound, and it took Weiss a moment to realize precisely what she was doing. She recoiled as if struck, and asked, “I’m sorry. Was… was that okay? I don’t want to be rude…”

One bark.

“Okay…” she said, very slowly reaching out to scratch Ruby’s ears again. She took much more care at first, but Ruby leaned into the scratches, encouraging her. Despite herself, Weiss smiled.

“This is weird,” she said. “This is very weird. Right?”

One bark.

“Should I stop?”

Two barks. Weiss laughed.

“I should  _ probably _ put my rapier away, huh?”

One bark, though it was very low and gentle. Weiss sighed, and delicately returned her rapier to her gym bag. She was very aware of Ruby’s presence behind her as she knelt down to zip the bag back up, but she wasn’t afraid of her anymore. Weiss sat up on her bed, finally getting a good look at Ruby while she was in this form. 

Anyone would mistake her for a normal wolf, at first. Her face was sharper and more angular than that of a domestic dog, and there was a remarkable intelligence to her silver eyes. Her fur was mostly brown, but some areas of it were redder, especially around her ears. Was it because she’d dyed her hair in her human form?

“Okay,” Weiss said. “Can I ask you a few more questions about… this?”

Ruby gave her one little bark.

“How did you become a werewolf? I - er, were you bitten by another werewolf?”

Two barks.

“How else does somebody become a werewolf?” Weiss asked aloud. “Uh, never mind, I guess you can tell me that when you’re human again tomorrow.” She paused. “You  _ will _ be human again tomorrow, right?”

One bark.

“Okay, okay, good.” Weiss stared off into space for a moment, just considering all of this. She definitely had more questions, but they all required more than the little yes/no system that she’d developed with Ruby thus far. The more complex questions started swirling around in her head for a moment, before Ruby finally walked up and butted her head against Weiss’ foot, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Ruby’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, she looked like she was… begging? Weiss supposed that the ability to use puppy-dog eyes must come with the ability to  _ literally _ transform into a dog.

“Do… do you want to come up on the bed with me?” Weiss asked. 

One bark.

“Okay, fine,” Weiss said. “But there had  _ better _ not be any fur on my sheets.”

Ruby seemed to consider that momentarily, but she sat back and waited for Weiss to make room for her. Weiss sat up, leaning her back against a small stack of pillows. Once there was adequate space, Ruby deftly leapt up onto Weiss’ bed, being careful where she walked, making sure not to step on her. She walked in a slow, deliberate circle, then curled up next to Weiss, facing her. 

“Was the circle really necessary?”

Ruby didn’t dignify that with a response.

Weiss idly scratched at Ruby’s ears, earning a low, happy murmur from her. She laughed, saying “I always wanted a dog, you know. My father never let us have one, because he said they were too ‘dirty.’”

Ruby appeared to be offended by this.

“I know! He’s kind of the worst,” Weiss said. Ruby snorted at that. “Sorry,” Weiss said. “You’re pretty easy to talk to when you’re like this, y’know?”

Ruby gave her a look. 

“Well it’s easier to talk in a one-sided conversation,” she said. “Am I, like… doing this right?”

Ruby made an inquisitive sound.

“I mean… I don’t really know how to interact with my roommate when she’s a huge brown wolf in our bedroom. Are there any werewolf social rules? Any major do’s and don’ts?”

Ruby snorted, and gave her two little barks.

“So… this is okay? Petting you like this?” Ruby barked once, then stood up, taking a few very tiny steps before immediately flopping down on Weiss’ lap entirely.

“Oof!” Weiss said, not expecting the sudden weight to crush her thighs. She laughed, though, and started running her hand along Ruby’s flank. “You’re not  _ exactly  _ a lapdog, you know.” Ruby seemed all too happy to ignore that statement completely, choosing instead to nuzzle her face up into the hand that Weiss wasn’t already using for petting. 

Weiss leaned over to her desk and checked her scroll. Somehow, it was already past 10 PM, and she was quite tired from this emotional journey of a day. 

“Ruby, it’s late,” she said. “Sorry, it… it still feels weird using your name, because I know it’s a human name, and it belongs to a human, and… yeah.” Ruby just licked her hand once. “But, seriously, it is getting kinda late, so I’m gonna go to sleep.” She stopped her petting for a moment, and looked Ruby in the eyes. “We’re going to have to talk about this tomorrow, okay?” Ruby gave her one little bark, then carefully stood up. She walked backwards slightly, giving Weiss a little lick on her cheek, then gracefully hopped down from her bed. 

“Ruby, that’s gross!” Weiss said, wiping at her face. “I  _ just _ did skincare tonight.” She flipped her duvet off and grabbed a small towel from her desk. After wiping her face, she looked over at Ruby, who had curled up on her own bed, resting her head on her front paws. Weiss climbed back under her covers, but it felt so… empty, without the huge wolf’s presence.

Ignoring the screams of protest from her better judgment, Weiss scooted up next to the wall in her own bed, then timidly said, “Ruby?”

The wolf’s red ears perked up at the sound of her voice. 

“Um… you can sleep on the bed with me tonight, if you’d like.” Ruby stood up in an instant. She walked in an excited circle, her tail actually wagging, something that Weiss hadn’t yet seen her do. She hopped off her bed in delight, but before she finished crossing the room, Weiss held up a finger to stop her. She sat, her tail still lazily wagging back and forth.

“But don’t lie  _ on _ me, okay? I do actually want to sleep.”

Ruby gave her one deep bark, waiting for her explicit approval.

“Okay, come on up,” Weiss said, and the brown wolf immediately leapt up onto the bed with her. She moved to lick Weiss’ face again, but she was able to restrain herself when Weiss gave her a stern look. Her mouth closed, and Weiss gave her a quick little scratch behind the ear as a thank you.

Ruby gave a happy little yip, then carefully maneuvered herself so that she could lie on her side, not putting any of her weight on Weiss.

“Goodnight, Ruby,” Weiss said.  _ Hopefully I’ll finally figure out what to do with you in the morning. _

* * *

Ruby was initially slow to wake. She felt so  _ warm _ and  _ safe, _ and she nuzzled her face into the soft object that she’d wrapped her arms around. Ruby yawned, picking her head up to flip her hair out of her face.

As she did, her eyes almost immediately snapped open. Ruby froze, staring at the back of Weiss’ head. Slowly, she realized that she was  _ under Weiss’ blanket, _ and the soft object that she was snuggling with was Weiss herself, apparently still asleep.

Ruby just silently blinked for a moment, and the events of the previous evening came rushing back to her. She remembered Weiss finding out about her secret, then being forced into her wolf form by that freaking supermoon, and things got kind of fuzzy from there. She definitely remembered Weiss threatening her with a  _ sword _ that she apparently just  _ had _ for some reason, but the rest was mostly a blur. All she remembered was feeling incredibly safe as she fell asleep, but she was fairly confident that the two of them had not fallen asleep like  _ this. _

Slowly, Ruby heard Weiss yawn, and start to stretch. Panicking, Ruby didn’t know what to do, so she just stayed frozen. Weiss began to roll over, about to face her, and Ruby was just barely self aware enough to take her arm off of Weiss to let her do so. Ruby tried to scoot back on the bed a little bit to give Weiss some space, but there honestly wasn’t really anywhere to go on the tiny twin bed. 

“Mm…” Weiss hummed as she finished rolling over. For a moment, Ruby thought she might be able to leave the bed without waking her, but as soon as she started to shift, Weiss’ blue eyes were open and staring at her.

Both women spent several seconds in utter silence, just staring at one another. Ruby’s brain finally managed to engage, and she finally squeaked out some actual words.

“Um, sorry…” she said lamely. “I think I’ll just…” She hastily threw the covers off of herself, and literally jumped out of Weiss’ bed as if it were made of hot coals. As soon as her feet reached the carpet, Ruby quickly made two realizations.

Firstly, her ears and her tail were still out, which meant that there was absolutely no chance that she’d be able to convince Weiss that last night had been a dream or hallucination.

Secondly, she was still  _ very much naked, _ and she was almost certain that Weiss was watching her as she made a beeline for her dresser. As a werewolf, Ruby wasn’t normally bothered by nudity (she couldn’t exactly enter either of her other forms while wearing clothes), but the fact that she’d woken up in the same bed as her  _ very _ attractive roommate put an entirely new, entirely  _ human _ spin on the concept. 

Hurriedly, Ruby threw on a sports bra, some underwear, a t-shirt, and a pair of jeans. She brought her ears and tail back in, more out of embarrassment than anything else. Wincing with anticipation, she slowly looked over her shoulder at Weiss, who was staring at her like she’d come from another planet. She’d sat up in bed by this point. Ruby felt her cheeks become the same color as the dye in her hair.

“Um…” Ruby began. Why wasn’t she saying anything? “So… uh… about last night…”

Weiss blinked as though someone had slapped her awake from a daydream. She immediately went on a face journey - first confusion, then embarrassment, back to confusion. The gears in her head appeared to be turning, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. 

“Look, Weiss, how about we both just pretend that last night didn’t happen - “

“So… you  _ really _ are a werewolf, aren’t you?” Weiss asked. “I’m still struggling to believe it, but… “

“Yes,” Ruby said, her shoulders falling as she finally gave up trying to pretend otherwise. “Yes, Weiss, I’m actually a werewolf. Lycanthropy is real, and I actually turn into a seven-foot-tall humanoid wolf creature every twenty-nine days.” She glanced at the ground bitterly. “And  _ apparently,  _ I also forget about freaking supermoons.”

Weiss was still silent for a while, visibly processing all of this. Interacting with Ruby when she was essentially a very large, hyper-intelligent dog was rather easy, but actually having the girl in front of her, able to communicate about it, was a different matter entirely.

“I… I kept your secret,” Weiss finally said. “When our RA came by. I told her you weren’t home.”

“Thank you,” Ruby said, exhaling in relief. “And honestly, I’m so sorry that this happened. I - I wasn’t planning on having this conversation with you at  _ all,  _ much less on the first freaking night.”

“I… um… it’s okay,” Weiss said, to Ruby’s surprise. “I mean - don’t get me wrong, my mind is still kind of blown about all this, but…”

“Yeah.” Ruby said, looking at the floor in shame. “Yeah, I get that part.”

“But,” Weiss said, causing Ruby to meet her eyes, “I don’t really  _ mind,  _ in that way. If you need to, um, transform because of the moon, or, you need me to cover for you or something, I… I’ll do that for you.” She paused. “If that’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” Ruby said, doubtful. 

“What else were you expecting, really?” Weiss asked, and Ruby supposed that she had a point. Slowly, she started getting out of bed. “I mean, we’re still definitely going to need to talk about this - my biggest worry is what  _ actually _ happens on the full moon…”

“It’s a lot,” Ruby interjected, and Weiss nodded, relatively unsurprised.

“But I didn’t feel in any danger when I was around you last night. That’s what you’re afraid of, right?”

Ruby looked at Weiss like she’d started speaking in tongues. Because yes, she was explicitly correct - Ruby’s greatest fear was hurting other people, or making them afraid of her. She was always relatively in control of herself, even in her were form, but, well… werewolves were often referred to as ‘monsters’ for a reason. The sheer  _ concept _ that Weiss had been able to not only guess her greatest fear, but even tell her right away that she wouldn’t have to worry about it left her utterly speechless. No one had ever just  _ accepted _ this part of her so brazenly, except for other weres.

“I’m… going to take your silence as a yes,” Weiss finally said, and Ruby realized that she’d been staring at her, slack-jawed, for at least a full minute.

“I… um… Weiss I can’t begin to describe -”

“Then don’t,” Weiss said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. She hopped out of bed, and started to get dressed. Ruby turned her back to respect her privacy, and she used the time to check her scroll. As soon as the screen lit up, Ruby winced.

_Yang: (30 messages)_ _  
__Yang: (6 missed calls)_

_ Dad: (4 missed calls) _

“Um, okay,” Ruby said over her shoulder, “I promise I’ll answer all of your questions about… this, but first I  _ really _ have to call my sister.” Once she shot off a quick  _ “I’m okay” _ text to both of them, explaining the situation, she turned around, and Weiss had finished changing into a rather casual (by Weiss’ definitions, anyways) Sunday outfit. Ruby showed her the screen, and Weiss gave a slow, wide-eyed nod.

“Do you want me to maybe hang out in the 4th floor common room for a bit?” Weiss asked sympathetically. “Here, you can text me when you’re done.” Ruby’s cheeks warmed as she realized that she was getting a girl’s phone number - a girl that she had, in the most  _ extremely technical sense, _ slept with. She would have generally imagined doing those things in a different order, but -

“Wanna go grocery shopping afterwards?” Weiss asked, pulling Ruby out from her thoughts. “I mean, we don’t really have anything for breakfast…”

“Uhm, yeah, that sounds great!” Ruby said. “I’ll uh… I’ll let you know.”

“Great.” Weiss said, trying not to note the very awkward energy between them. “See you.”

Ruby’s scroll started buzzing again in her hand, and, tentatively, she answered the call from Yang. As soon as the line connected and she put the phone to her ear, she immediately pulled it away again, as Yang shouted, “WHAT DO YOU  **MEAN** ‘WEISS KNOWS?’”

Ruby sighed, and prepared herself for a very, very long phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks so much for reading!
> 
> The response to the first chapter of this fic was INSANE - it became my second most popular work essentially overnight, which is utterly mindblowing to me, so thank you all very much.   
> The only thing I'd like to say (besides being very excited to hear your feedback) is that you definitely shouldn't get your hopes up when it comes to the time it took in-between chapters: I'm already pretty busy and it's only going to get worse, so please be patient with me as this fic continues. 
> 
> Anyways, please let me know what you think, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed!
> 
> -Red


	3. A Much-Needed Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I actually didn't remember what the reference in the chapter title was from until I googled it and then I realized it was a RWBY episode, which... that really sums up the media that I consume)
> 
> -R

“Yang, I’m sure she’s fine,” Blake said. 

“You don’t  _ know _ that,” Yang replied, still pacing. Her long, yellow tail was fluffed up to at least twice its usual size, her ears on high alert. Blake gave her a sympathetic look.

“I mean, from what you’ve told me about her, Ruby can handle herself,” Blake offered.

“Sure, when it comes to hunting or fighting,” Yang said. “But, I mean, you  _ saw _ her last night. She’s not exactly good at being subtle.” Blake couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that.

“Ah, yes,” She said, standing up, flicking her lithe black tail back and forth in the way she knew Yang liked. “Because  _ you’re _ such an expert on subterfuge.” She teasingly dragged a finger along Yang’s bare shoulder.

“Blake, I’m being serious,” Yang said. Blake stopped teasing and turned to face her.

“I am too,” Blake said. “Look, it’s…” she dug into her overnight bag, pulling out her scroll. The bag was still covered in morning dew, since she and Yang had fallen asleep under a tree in the woods near Beacon College. “It’s only 7:30 - she probably just slept in after finding somewhere to spend the moon.”

“Maybe,” Yang said. “I still don’t understand why she didn’t spend the moon with  _ us.” _

“I don’t know either. Maybe she met other weres who invited her?”

“Haha, Ruby? No, no, no - Ruby does NOT make friends that quickly. I figured she’d be attached to me at the hip once she got here.”

Blake’s brows furrowed at that, realizing the possibility that the continued presence of her girlfriend’s little sister could potentially hamper some of the romance in their date nights.

“I dunno,” Blake said, shrugging. “She seemed to have taken a liking to that roommate of hers.”

“Yeah, but - wait.” Yang finally stopped pacing. At first, Blake thought this was a good thing, until Yang said, “You don’t think she has a  _ crush _ on that girl, do you?”

Blake’s eyes went wide, silently begging Yang not to make her participate in this conversation. Before she could open her mouth, though, Yang’s eyes whipped down to her scroll, and her shoulders fell in relief, causing Blake’s to do the same.

“She’s okay, she just got back to me,” Yang said, and Blake let out a very grateful sigh. “Wait…”

“What is it?” Blake asked, sidling up next to her to read her scroll. “Oh…”

Yang’s eyes nearly went red with fury, and she angrily punched the “answer” button when Ruby called her. 

“WHAT DO YOU  **MEAN** ‘WEISS KNOWS?’”

* * *

“Yang I’m sorry I forgot about the supermoon and ended up changing into my wolf in my dorm room but it turned out that Weiss was okay with it and we actually just sort of hung out and it was kind of nice so I’m sorry but please please please don’t be mad!” Ruby spat out, rapid-fire, and then immediately closed her eyes in preparation for another angry yell.

All that ended up coming was a very long, very tired sigh.

“I’m not mad, Ruby, I’m just glad that you’re all right.” Ruby exhaled with relief. “Just…  _ try _ not to scare me like that, okay?”

“Okay,” Ruby placated. “I’m still really sorry.”

“For scaring me, or telling Weiss?” Yang asked.

“Um… both?” Ruby hazarded.

“Uh-huh,” Yang said. “Are you SURE that she’s not gonna tell anyone?”

“Yes,” Ruby said immediately, even though she had absolutely no guarantee of that. Somehow, she just knew.

“Okay,” Yang said tiredly. “Tell her that if she  _ does _ tell anybody, even by accident, I will  _ sink my teeth _ into her prissy little -”

“Yeah, I get it,” Ruby said, not wanting to know where  _ that _ sentence was going to end up. She heard some muttering over the line, as though Yang were talking to someone else. “Um… is Blake there with you?” She asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Yeah, she’s here too,” Yang said, putting her scroll on speaker.

“Hey, Ruby,” Blake said. “Glad to hear you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Ruby replied. “How did you two spend the moon?”

“We hunted out in the woods near campus,” Yang said. “We invited you last night, but you  _ apparently _ didn’t get the message.”

“What?” Ruby asked. “When?”

“I asked you if you wanted to come to our place after dinner,” Yang said, “And you were all ‘no, I think I just wanna head home after this,’ and I couldn’t explain further because Weiss was there.”

“Ohh…” Ruby said, remembering that exchange. “Sorry, I… I must not have realized.”

“Told you she wouldn’t,” Blake said. 

“Ugh, stop being right all the time,” Yang replied. 

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “Again, I’m really sorry, Yang, but if nothing else… it  _ really _ could have been worse.” All she heard from her sister was an exasperated sigh, so she decided to continue. “Anyways, um… Weiss and I don’t really have any food or anything at our place, so we were gonna go grocery shopping…”

“Okay,” Yang replied. “Just… please try to be more careful in the future, okay?”

“I will,” Ruby promised. “Weiss even said she’d help cover me and stuff.”

“All right,” Yang said, appearing to consider that. “Anyways, we’re gonna get dressed and head back to campus. Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon,” Ruby replied. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

* * *

Yang hung up her scroll, giving a loud sigh.

“See?” Blake said. “She was fine.”

“I know, and I knew she would be,” Yang said. “I just get worried, y’know?”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Blake said, putting a hand on Yang’s shoulder. “She’ll figure this stuff out on her own. That’s what college is about, right?” She smiled. “Besides, if she has trouble with something, I’m pretty sure that she’s gonna head to you first.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Yang agreed. “Thanks. Sorry that this became a whole thing.”

“It’s fine, Yang. I was worried about Ruby, too.”

Yang just gave her an indulgent smile. She was so used to having no one else to really care for her, to help her with everything she was juggling, and even after a year of dating Blake, moments like these were still a pleasant surprise. 

“She’s  _ definitely _ into Weiss, though,” Blake teased, turning towards her bag.

“I freaking knew it!” 

  
  


* * *

Ruby sighed once Yang had ended their call. She rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes for a moment, looked over her hair in the mirror, and texted Weiss.

_ Sister convo over - head on up _

_ Oh this is Ruby btw _

_ I gathered. _

_ I’ll be right up, see you soon. _

Ruby raised an eyebrow at Weiss’ apparent habit of using perfect grammar in texting conversation, but she was coming to understand that that’s just what Weiss was like. She tried to make her hair not look like a _complete_ disaster, smoothed out her clothes, and waited for Weiss to get back. 

The door opened hesitantly as Weiss poked her head in.

“Um, hey,” she said. “How was… er... the conversation?”

“It was fine,” Ruby shrugged. “Yang just wants to protect me, y’know?”

“I… see.” Weiss said. She awkwardly stood right at the doorway, as if she were waiting to be properly invited to the room itself.

“Is… uh… is everything okay?” Ruby asked. 

“Yes!” Weiss said, too quickly. “Sorry - while I was sitting there in the common room, a bunch of questions started swirling in my head, and…” Ruby gave her a sympathetic nod.

“Yeah, that’s… normal,” she said. She figured it was, at least - Weiss was the first human who she’d introduced to the concept of werewolves.

“I… yes.” Weiss said. 

“Here,” Ruby offered. “How about we head out for groceries, you can ask me anything you want to know on the trip. I’ll do my best to answer!” She gave Weiss what she hoped was a winning smile, and a wave of relief washed over her when Weiss returned it.

“I actually would like to get ready, first,” Weiss said. “Brush my hair and all that.”

“Oh! Yeah!” Ruby said. “Want me to leave you alone for that?”

Weiss appeared to consider that, and then she shrugged.

“I’m going to be doing it in here every morning - I might as well get used to the company.” Ruby gave her a nod as Weiss moved to sit down at her desk, taking out a brush and sliding over a makeup mirror. Ruby sat down at her own desk, a respectable distance away. 

“So, what did you want to know?”

“How did you become a werewolf?” Weiss asked right away. She blushed. “Sorry, I… I had time to think of which questions I wanted answered first.”

“That’s okay! That’s good!” Ruby said. They both shared an awkward laugh at the absurdity of the situation. “I was actually born like this. My mom and dad were werewolves, so they passed it on to me.”

“Oh…” Weiss said, surprised. “I didn’t know it could work that way. I thought another werewolf had to bite you or something.”  
“Popular fiction gets a lot of things wrong,” Ruby laughed. “It’s kind of a joke between real werewolves, but it’s not as though we can just publish corrections.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed. “No, I suppose not.” Ruby nodded, and Weiss took that as a cue to ask her next question. “So,  _ you _ weren’t bitten, but… can that happen? Can the…” she didn’t want to say “curse,” so she tried a new sentence. “Can someone become a werewolf that way?” Ruby was quiet for a moment.

“Yeah,” she said. “If a werewolf bites a human, they might end up Turning them.”

“‘Might?’” Weiss asked.

“It doesn’t always work,” Ruby said impishly. Weiss could tell she was wondering how to phrase something delicate. “Often, when they’re supposed to transform the first time, the human will… um… die.”

“... oh.” Weiss said quietly.

“Yeah,” Ruby replied, leaning back in her chair with a nervous, forced grin. “I um… I try not to think about it.” She blinked, realizing she’d forgotten something. “Oh! It’s not just any old bite that will Turn someone - it only works if whoever’s doing the biting is in their actual, proper were form.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow, and Ruby figured that now was as good a time as any to explain this bit.

“So, I don’t just change between looking like this -” she gestured to herself “- and being the seven-foot-tall wolfman you’ve seen in movies. That’s what we call our ‘were form.’ I also have my wolf, which you saw last night.”

“And… on the full moon…” Weiss began. “You’re forced into the ‘were’ form?”

“Yup,” Ruby said. “Every twenty-nine days. The next one’s in two weeks.”

Weiss seemed to be concerned at this, and Ruby quickly jumped in to reassure her.

“You probably won’t ever have to see me like that, though. I’ve already talked a lot with Yang about it - there are these woods near campus that we’re gonna go to for the moons, so you’ll just see me leave in the afternoon and then come back some time the next morning.”

“Okay,” Weiss said. “When you transform, what do you… um… do?”

“We hunt, mostly,” Ruby said nonchalantly. Weiss’ eyes went as wide as dinner plates before Ruby realized that she’d left out an extremely important caveat.

“NOT PEOPLE!” Ruby shouted, to clarify. Weiss seemed to exhale in relief, and Ruby laughed weakly. “Sorry, I should have led with that - we just hunt, like, animals and stuff…” Weiss started to laugh along with her, once she recovered from the initial shock. 

“Yes, that’s… that’s good information to note,” Weiss said, stifling her giggle. She had at some point moved from brushing her hair to doing some light makeup. 

“Yeah, sorry…” Ruby laughed. They exchanged smiles, and Ruby could tell that Weiss had finally somewhat gotten used to all of this. After a lull in the conversation, Ruby remembered one thing she’d left out.

“Oh, and uh… I mean, I guess you’ve already seen them, but when I’m in my human form, I can also have these...” hesitantly, she let her ears and tail out, and Weiss stopped to stare at her. She was utterly captivated with Ruby for a moment, and Ruby could feel herself blushing heavily under Weiss’ studious gaze. Even though she’d technically seen her like this before, Weiss had never had a chance to actually look at her up close. Subconsciously, she turned her chair to face Ruby directly, scooting forward a little bit.

Weiss’ hand reached towards Ruby’s face, slowly inching towards her wolf ears. There was this sudden, unspoken heat between them. Their previous, very casual circumstances abruptly vanished into a soft, timid intimacy. Just before Weiss’ hand brushed against Ruby’s hair, she whispered, “Can I…?”

Ruby, too timid to reply, simply nodded, scooting forward to let Weiss touch her furry ear.

Weiss gently brushed her finger across the triangular tip of Ruby’s ear, letting out a soft gasp when it twitched in response. She paused for a moment, and moved closer to it again. This time, her fingertips made gentle contact, and the first thing she noticed was how incredibly  _ soft _ they were. She very gently began to stroke Ruby’s ear, not unlike how she had the previous night, while Ruby was in her wolf. 

Ruby tried her best not to lean  _ too _ far forwards as Weiss’ delicate fingers stroked her ear. However, that became remarkably difficult as Weiss’ other hand reached up to her other ear, and she couldn’t  _ exactly _ help the low moan of pleasure that escaped her lips as Weiss began to stroke that one, too. Weiss didn’t appear to react to that, though, and Ruby was  _ not _ about to convince her to stop giving what essentially felt like a professional massage.

After a while, Weiss slowly withdrew her hands, and Ruby felt like she was waking from a trance. She blinked with embarrassment and quickly leaned back, having realized  _ just _ how close her face had gotten to being buried in Weiss’ chest. When she looked up, her roommate was stifling a polite giggle.

“You enjoyed that, huh?” Weiss asked smugly.

“I… yeah…” Ruby said, looking down at the floor. Weiss let out this impossibly beautiful laugh, making Ruby’s cheeks burn like a wildfire.

“I could tell,” she added, a grin still on the corner of her mouth. “Your tail is wagging.”

Upon hearing it mentioned, Ruby whipped around to glare at her traitorous appendage, and it  _ was _ indeed still wagging. She looked back at Weiss in embarrassment, but her roommate had already returned to finishing her makeup.

“So!” Weiss declared, putting her eyeliner down. “Groceries?”

* * *

“Did you have any other questions?” Ruby asked, putting a bag of cookies into her basket.

“I mean… here?” Weiss asked, gesturing to the fact that they were in a supermarket.

“Sure!” Ruby said. She shrugged. “I mean, maybe don’t intentionally shout about it at the top of your lungs, but… people don’t  _ exactly _ spy on each other super closely or anything. You’d be surprised how little they pay attention to things like this.”

“I… I suppose,” Weiss replied. She thought for a moment about how to phrase her question. “When we were in our room, and you had your, um…” she made a gesture starting at her lower back and extending outwards, describing a phantom tail with her hand.

“When I had my tail out?” Ruby asked plainly.

“Yes,” Weiss said, embarrassed. “How did it… I mean, you’re wearing pants, but…”

Ruby laughed. 

“Oh, yeah. There are little hidden flaps in most of my pants, so it can poke through. I also wear skirts pretty often, because they work really well for that.”

“Who makes the flaps?” Weiss asked. “They’re totally invisible…”

“You’ve been looking at my butt, then, huh?” Ruby asked with a wink.

Weiss froze as though she’d stuck a fork in a power outlet, making Ruby laugh.

“It’s okay, I was just teasing,” Ruby said, though she couldn’t help but notice that the crimson had yet to drain from Weiss’ cheeks. “Anyways, there’s a few were-friendly tailors around. I get a lot of my pants and tights altered in a shop near my house, though I don’t bother with every pair.”

Weiss just hummed at that, and they both somewhat wandered apart as they filled up their respective baskets. Ruby tended towards the more processed foods, and Weiss instead picked out a lot of fresh vegetables and other, similar options.

When they found each other once again, and began waiting in the checkout line, Weiss leaned towards Ruby to whisper a question.

“Is it… you know, common?” Ruby let out a soft little laugh at how embarrassed Weiss was at the whole thing, though she did also appreciate her curiosity.

“Probably more than you think,” Ruby said. “I mean, we’re a relatively small amount of the population, but there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve bumped into someone or met them briefly.” Weiss seemed to consider that for a moment, until it was her turn to check out from the store.

Ruby watched her. Truth be told, she didn’t really have much else to do as she waited, but… there was just something about Weiss, and her movements. Ruby had initially thought of the way that she carried herself as “haughty,” but on closer inspection, she figured that a better word was… “dignified.” Maybe even “graceful.”

Ruby blinked for a moment, suddenly realizing that it was her turn. She almost shook her head a little as she started putting her purchases on the conveyor belt,  _ trying _ not to think about how she had described Weiss doing an incredibly mundane activity as “graceful.”

She was definitely in more trouble than she’d thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Apologies that this chapter took so long, I've been kind of swamped with college work and everything lately.  
> Let me know what you think of this chapter - I'm really excited to develop the relationship between Weiss and Ruby, and I'm excited for the potential of Bumblebee as weres, too!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -R


	4. New Normal

“Ready?” Ruby asked, standing by the door. Weiss was grabbing items off her desk and carefully inserting them into her backpack. 

“Just a second,” Weiss replied. “I have to make sure I’ve brought everything.”

“Weiss, it’s the  _ first week,” _ Ruby replied. “You’re definitely bringing too many things.”

Weiss simply harrumphed at that, and added another three pencils to her bag out of spite.

“There,” she said triumphantly, standing up with her bag. “ _ Now  _ I' m ready.”

Ruby just rolled her eyes and held the door open. 

“Where is it, again?” Weiss asked. Ruby pulled her scroll out of her pocket to check.

“320 Hawthorne,” she replied.

“Is that next to Greyson?”

“Across the quad.”

“Right, right.”

The two shared a mostly silent elevator ride. Even after just four days or so of living together, they’d already become quite accustomed to sharing space, so it was a comfortable silence.

“I still don’t understand why this class is so  _ late,” _ Weiss said. “Don’t the professors want to leave campus some time  _ before _ nine-thirty at night?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “Yang told me that they do classes like this on Thursdays because there isn’t any other time that they fit into that professor’s schedule. I dunno, I figure it’s voluntary.”

“I suppose,” Weiss said, noncommittal. “I’d prefer to get my courses out of the way early.”

“Yeah, everybody’s different,” Ruby replied. “I’m used to working on art stuff pretty late. Sometimes I feel like my brain doesn’t start working until after eleven.” She shrugged. “It’s still pretty late for a class, though. I might have to miss it because of the moon sometimes.”

“Well, if that happens, you can look at my notes,” Weiss replied. Ruby gave her that obnoxiously wide, frustratingly beautiful smile of hers.

“Thanks!” Ruby said. She laughed. “It may not even happen, though… there’s only really four or five moons in a semester, so chances are pretty low that one of them will be on a Thursday.”

“Don’t you… know?” Weiss asked. 

Ruby stared at her.

“I mean… I just figured that since the moon has such an effect on you, that you’d, well… keep track. Plan in advance, I’d imagine.”

“Heh, nope!” Ruby said. “If it weren’t for my calendar I’d end up transforming in my bedroom every single time.”

“Is  _ that _ why paper calendars show lunar cycles?” Weiss asked, suddenly realizing. “I’d always wondered…” Ruby just grinned.

“Like I said, we’re more common than you’d think.”

Weiss pulled open the door to room 320, entering with Ruby in tow.

As soon as she noticed who else was inside, she stopped in her tracks just to blink in surprise.

“Hey, Rubes!” Came a voice from the third row. Sure enough, her roommate’s impossibly loud sister was waving them over to two empty seats next to her. Blake sat on the other side, her nose in a book and wired headphones in her ears.

“They’re… also taking First-Year Writing?” Weiss asked.

“Yup!” Ruby said, trotting up the amphitheater-style seating area to greet her sister.

“I thought that this class was for… well… first-years,” Weiss said as she caught up.

“You would think that, yes,” Blake said, gathering up her earbuds. “But Beacon College, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to overhaul its gen-ed requirements, so instead of taking the college-wide writing course at the  _ end _ of our college careers…”

“We’re all in here, and now we can suffer together!” Yang finished, playfully bumping against Ruby as she sat down next to her. “I can’t believe I get to take a class with my baby sister!”

“I’m not a baby! I’m an  _ adult!  _ I do my  _ own _ laundry and I  _ voted _ last year!” Ruby protested.

Weiss and Blake made eye contact across the pair of siblings, both rolling their eyes.

The door to the lecture hall opened and a wiry, wild-haired man with thick, circular glasses barged in. His movements showed incredible haste, but with an amount of control that Weiss wouldn’t think possible for a real human - it was as if the man was a recording being played at double speed. The four of them watched in awe as he seemed to almost teleport around the lecturer’s station, moving from the chalkboard to the projector to the lecture stand as though there were three versions of him, each doing one of those tasks simultaneously.

Finally, he appeared to be set up, with his laptop plugged in and displaying a presentation. The words “First-Year Writing” sat in the center, in bold, subtitled by “ENGW 1101 Section 1” in a smaller, italic font. He took a long sip from the massive thermos in his hand, eerily motionless otherwise.

Weiss checked her scroll, and watched the digital display shift from “6:29” to “6:30.”

Instantly, the man spoke up, his booming voice quickly hushing the idle chatter of the large room.

“Good evening, class! Welcome to First-Year Writing. I am Professor Oobleck, and I will be sharing your late Thursday evenings with you for the rest of the semester.” He cracked a grin. “If you have ended up in the wrong place by mistake, there is no shame in getting lost, so please escape now if you’re due to be elsewhere!” 

A beat passed. No one moved.

“Wonderful!” He said, walking out from behind the lecture stand. He had a frankly impossible amount of energy for this time of night. Using a small clicker in the opposite hand from his thermos, he advanced the slide to his contact information and office hours, which Weiss quickly began to copy down in her notebook.

“These are the various places that I can be found during the week! I also usually attempt to reserve an additional thirty minutes at most after class, for the brave souls who wish to speak to me  _ more _ after hearing me lecture for three hours! I take questions during lecture, but if you don’t believe that your question will be relevant to anyone else, then I ask that you save it for then, for my office hours, or for my worryingly overflowed email inbox.” That got a small chuckle out of the lecture hall’s one hundred or so occupants. “That being said, I  _ do _ make an effort to return emails within forty-eight business hours, and I would recommend turning your email notifications off if you prefer to sleep at four o’clock in the morning, because I apparently do not.” Another small chuckle emanated throughout the hall.

As he talked through the various disability accommodations that the College and the course would provide, Weiss heard Ruby whisper to Yang, “How is this guy so energetic at this time of night?”

“That’s just Oobleck,” Blake answered. “You’ll get used to him. He’s pretty eccentric, but he’s fun.”

“Have you had a class with this professor before?” Weiss asked. The siblings appeared to be equally curious.

“Yeah, he taught my Ancient Wars and Revolutions class freshman year,” Blake said.

“Ohhh,” Yang added, “So  _ this _ is Fast History Man?” 

“Yup,” Blake giggled. She turned to Weiss and Ruby, explaining, “That’s what we called him last year. If I were taking an online course that he was putting out, I’d listen to his lectures on  _ half _ speed, not double.”

Weiss gulped, and Blake immediately noticed her fearful reaction.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “He always puts his slides up online, like, right away, so you can read back through them if you miss something.” She chuckled. “There’s that,  _ plus _ all the readings he made us do…”

“Now then!” The professor said, pulling their attention back to him. “Any questions before we dive into the wonderful world of writing?”

Again, no one said a thing. Weiss figured everyone else was just as intimidated as she was.

“I’ll choose to take your silence as enthusiastic understanding,” he said. “Now, that aforementioned wonderful world of writing…”

* * *

“Now, moving on to sentence structure...” Oobleck continued, before an alarm went off on his watch. “Ah, drat!” He said, silencing it. “Very well. I suppose we shall continue this after the break. Please take the next fifteen minutes to head to the bathrooms, get some water, and do anything else that you need to maintain your frustratingly mortal body! If you return a bit late, please enter through the back so that you don’t disrupt the lecture.”

Weiss nearly slumped forward onto the table. Her hand  _ ached _ from writing - she must have taken four pages of notes, even  _ with  _ her usual shorthand. She looked over to Ruby, who was working on a piece, her drawing tablet resting on her knees. A half-finished portrait sat open on her laptop. Upon noticing that Oobleck had stopped speaking, she leaned back and stretched. Weiss heard a few surprisingly loud cracks.

“I’m gonna run to the bathroom, be right back,” she said. Weiss scooted forward to allow her to pass by. Blake took out a water bottle and began to read her book again, and Yang leaned back, taking up a fair amount of the space that Ruby had left between them. She yawned, but her violet eyes were still focused on Ruby, making sure that she was out of earshot.

“So, Weiss,” Yang began, her tone a little  _ too _ conversational to bode well for Weiss. “How’re things with my baby sister?”

“Fine,” Weiss replied immediately. The cold, deflective aura she was so used to putting on whenever her father or brother asked her personal questions had appeared without her noticing, and she consciously pushed it down. “It’s nice. I like our room, and Ruby’s a surprisingly good cook.”

“Right, right,” Yang said, leaning over a little bit further. “But I meant to ask, you know, how’re  _ things?” _ Her voice went a bit low, too obviously showing that she was speaking in code.

“Do you mean… her secret?” Weiss asked, nervous. “I mean, I was  _ surprised, _ to say the least, but I’m totally fine with it. We haven’t really needed to talk about any part of it since the weekend, so…”

“Ugh,” Yang said, slumping a bit in her chair. Apparently Weiss had guessed wrong. “What I  _ mean _ to ask is -”

“She wants to know if you and Ruby are dating,” Blake asked, without looking up from her book.

Both of their eyes locked onto her, but Blake was completely unfazed, turning the page like she hadn’t said a word.

“I - if we’re -  _ what?” _ Weiss asked, spluttering. “That’s - I mean, we’re not - “

“Ah-ha!” Yang declared. “So you  _ do _ like Ruby! Admit it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Weiss said, haughty. She didn’t like being challenged like this, and she hoped that she was properly disguising the heat in her cheeks. “I perfectly enjoy Ruby’s company, but I have no current romantic feelings for her. Should that change, I will promptly inform you.”

“Oof, she’s got it bad,” Yang replied.

“Mmhmm,” Blake hummed, eyes still on her book.

“What is  _ with _ you two?” Weiss asked in frustration. “Ruby is a  _ friend,  _ that’s all.” All she got was a matching pair of doubtful looks. Weiss tried another tactic, adding, “You two don’t even know if I  _ like _ girls.”

Yang’s eyes met Blake’s, and she knew that neither of them were buying  _ that _ little lie for a second. In retrospect, Weiss realized she probably shouldn’t have tried to feign straightness to a pair of women who were dating.

“Suuuuuuure you don’t, ice queen,” Yang said, leaning back in her chair again. Weiss harrumphed, checking her scroll in protest. “Just so you know,” Yang said casually, “If you break my baby sister’s heart I  will _literally_ rip yours out with my bare hands.”

Weiss was utterly speechless in response. She looked to Blake, and received nothing other than a tepidly apologetic shrug. Yang, however, had returned to her laptop, as though nothing out of the ordinary had been said.

A beat passed, and then Weiss finally became too curious. There was  _ one _ question that she still hadn’t asked Ruby, for fear of what it might imply. Yang would probably interpret it just as badly, but she appeared to already be certain that Weiss had a crush, so there wasn’t really any way for things to be any worse. 

“Can… can that happen, though?” Yang raised a smug eyebrow. Weiss sighed. “I meant a human and… someone like Ruby. Could they…” she leaned over, looking at Blake. Weiss had guessed that Yang was also a werewolf like Ruby, what with their shared parentage and everything, but she hadn’t previously considered how Yang’s girlfriend fit into the equation.

“Oh, humans and weres?” Yang asked quietly. There wasn’t anyone too close to them, and the people around weren’t really paying them any mind. Weiss nodded. “Sure, I figure it happens. I’ve never done it myself, though, so I can’t say I know too much about how that would work.”

“Me neither,” Blake said.

“So, you’re…” Weiss trailed off, hoping Blake could figure out her meaning. 

“I’m a were, but not a wolf like this dork,” Blake replied, jerking a thumb at Yang, who just let out a little chuckle.

“Oh!” Weiss replied, surprised. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…” Blake nodded.

“Lycanthropy doesn’t  _ just _ make wolves, although we’re most common,” Yang said. “And despite what they say about cats and dogs, Blake and I get along pretty well.”

Blake dramatically rolled her eyes at that, and Weiss immediately sympathized.

“I’m a werepanther,” Blake explained, her voice soft. “I’ve been told that I look a bit like a black jaguar when I’m shifted.” Weiss merely nodded, enlightened.

“Come over to our place some time and you’ll probably catch us with our ears and tails out,” Yang offered. “You’ll probably end up there, if you want to do the group project with us.”

“Group project?” Weiss asked. Professor Oobleck hadn’t mentioned that so far in his lecture.

“Yup,” Yang said, turning her laptop so that Weiss could see. She had the course’s schedule open, and apparently there was indeed a group project, whose first milestone was due in two weeks.

“Wanna work with us?” She asked. 

“I don’t suppose why not,” Weiss said coolly. Truth be told, she was absolutely  _ thrilled _ at the idea of not having to meet and work with random people in the class. She had never exactly been much of an extrovert.

“What’re you guys talking about?” Ruby asked from over Weiss’ shoulder.

“Group project,” Yang said. 

“Among other things,” Blake chuckled under her breath.

“Wanna work with us?” Yang asked as Ruby sat down. 

“Sure!” Ruby quickly replied. “We can probably just work in our room.”

“Your room doesn’t have a  _ couch, _ Ruby,” Yang countered. “Blake and I live in an actual  _ apartment, _ and we have spectacular, modern-day amenities like a living-room table.”

“Ugh, fine, that makes sense,” Ruby relented. “You guys are close to campus, right?”

“Only a few blocks, yeah,” Yang replied. “We got as close as the absurdly high rent would allow. It’s nuts, even for a one-bedroom.”

Weiss briefly wondered at the phrase “one-bedroom,” then things immediately clicked into place.

Before she could say anything else, Oobleck’s alarm went off again. “Welcome back!” He declared instantaneously. “Now, where were we… ah yes! Sentence structure!” Weiss’ note-taking hand twitched just from seeing the next slide. 

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

“SooOOooo,” Ruby said, as they made their way home. “What was Yang’s threat like? Did she say she’d rip your throat out, or…?”

“Ugh, not you too,” Weiss said wearily.

“Oof, so she  _ did _ give you that talk, huh? Sorry, she’s just really protective of me.”

“I gathered.”

“Sorry,” Ruby said again.

“It’s fine,” Weiss replied. “Does she do this to  _ every _ girl you meet?”

“What? No, you’re the only human who’s ever found out about...” Ruby began, incredulous. “Wait,” she said, literally stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing Weiss to do the same. “I’m talking about the werewolf thing. What are  _ you _ talking about?” Weiss’ cheeks immediately began to burn.

“N-nothing!” She said, immediately wincing and how obviously she was lying. Ruby just narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Weiss sighed, relenting. Apparently, she was completely incapable of hiding  _ anything _ from the members of the Rose/Xiao Long family.

“She thinks that I’m… interested in you…” Weiss admitted timidly.

Ruby closed her eyes, tilting her head up at the night sky in frustration for a moment.

“That… that sounds like Yang,” Ruby said. Weiss simply nodded once, the awkwardness hanging in the air. Ruby continued, with a fair share of stumbling. “I’m sorry - she just… I mean, it’s not that I’d be - er, well…”

“It’s okay,” Weiss said, mercifully cutting her off. “I’d rather just…”

“Put it behind us?”

“Yeah.” 

“Yeah.” 

Weiss blinked for a moment. Something about Ruby’s tone… that couldn’t be  _ disappointment, _ could it? No. Certainly not. She was just hearing things. 

* * *

“Ugh, we should have eaten dinner before,” Weiss groaned, laying out on her bed. It was almost ten o’clock at night, and her stomach was absolutely  _ livid _ with her for how long she’d gone without giving it anything to do.

“Relax, pasta’s almost on,” Ruby said. Her tail swished back and forth as she bounced to the song currently playing on her stereo.

Weiss had…  _ attempted _ to cook for herself one afternoon, but after they’d had an adventure putting out a small grease fire, they’d agreed that Ruby was better-suited for the task. Weiss felt awful about having Ruby cook for her every evening, but Ruby had assured that she loved making food for her friends. Dirty dishes, on the other hand, were almost exclusively Weiss’ domain, which she supposed was a fair balance. 

The current song trailed off, and Ruby stopped stirring. 

“I’m gonna pick out a new tape - can you watch this pot?” Ruby asked. “Just throw the noodles in when the water comes to a boil.”

“Got it,” Weiss said, hopping out of bed and walking over to the stove.

“What’re you in the mood for?” Ruby asked. “We can do Genesis or REO Speedwagon.”

“Hmm,” Weiss said, carefully watching the water as it began to bubble slightly. “Have I heard Genesis yet?”

“You’ve heard ‘A Trick of the Tail’ but not ‘Wind and Wuthering,’” Ruby clarified. “‘Wind’ is their eighth album, so it gets  _ really _ weird, but it’s cool!”

“Let’s do that, then,” Weiss snorted. “If it’s music that even  _ you _ find strange, I’m sure it’ll sound like it comes from another planet.”

“That’s actually not a bad descriptor,” Ruby said as she put the cassette into her stereo.

Sure enough, an otherworldly melody rang out from her stereo’s speakers. A delightfully odd-sounding synthesizer dominated the song’s opening, eventually supplemented by a much more conventional piano. When the vocals came in after a minute or so, they were so stylized and complex that Weiss wasn’t sure if she could follow them even if she had the lyrics in hand.

Ruby appeared to notice her confusion, and gave her a literally wolfish grin. “This song is called ‘Eleventh Earl of Mar,’” she explained. “It’s seven minutes long, and I have  _ no _ idea what it’s about.” Weiss just shook her head with a laugh.

Next to her, the water began to bubble. Weiss was briefly surprised, but she reached for their bowls - Ruby had already proportioned out the noodles - and began to pour them into the water. As she was halfway through, though, another pot on the burner made a series of angry popping sounds, startling her.

“Crap, I forgot about the sauce!” Ruby said, standing up.

“I-I’ve got it!” Weiss declared, quickly putting the now-empty bowls down and shifting over to the other pot. She picked up the wooden spoon and began to stir, like she’d seen Ruby do a few minutes ago. Slowly, the popping noises became quieter, but they didn’t stop.

“Here,” Ruby said, turning the heat down on both burners before standing behind Weiss. Ruby’s body pressed up against Weiss’ back, looking over her shoulder. Gently, she covered Weiss’ hands with her own, and began to stir faster, and with several times the confidence. Weiss felt a familiar heat rising in her cheeks as Ruby brought the situation back under control, using Weiss’ arms.

“Uh… sorry…” Ruby said, letting Weiss go. “I can take over now.”

“Yes, that’s… probably for the best,” Weiss laughed in embarrassment. She slid out from between Ruby and the stove,  _ trying _ not to notice how upset she was at the absence of Ruby’s arms around her. As she absentmindedly walked by, she bumped into Ruby’s tail - she really couldn’t avoid it in the tiny space.

“Ow!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Sorry!” Weiss said.

“No, no, that’s probably on me,” Ruby said, rubbing her lower back. “I guess it’s not practical to have this thing out while we’re in such a tiny room…”

“No!” Weiss said, a little too quickly. “It’s fine, I…” she blushed. “I like it.”

Was that a little bit of red on Ruby Rose’s cheeks? Weiss, terrified of finding out, continued. “Plus, you said it’s uncomfortable to hide it, right?”

“I mean… a little, I guess…” Ruby said. To Weiss’ relief, her tail did stay out as she thought aloud. “It’s like… have you ever worn like semi-uncomfortable shoes all day, and then finally taken them off?”

“Every single day of my life, yes.”

“Right.” Ruby said, laughing. Weiss could see her remembering all of the boots, heels, and businesslike flats in their shared closet, while Weiss had never seen Ruby wear anything besides a single pair of red sneakers.

“Well… my ears and tail are kind of like that. Keeping them in isn’t necessarily  _ un _ comfortable, but it’s just nice to be able to let them out at the end of the day.”

“Then you should do that,” Weiss said. “After all, I figure that this is one of the few places on campus where you can really let them out…”

“Barring Halloween, of course,” Ruby joked. Weiss laughed. She was looking forward to that.

“Yes, well, every  _ other _ day of the year, I’d imagine your options are limited, so I’d never want to keep that from you.”

“Thank you,” Ruby said sincerely. “I’m… I’m really glad we ended up being roommates. Or, that you ended up finding out about all the… were… stuff.” She laughed. “I would  _ not _ have enjoyed having to hide it from you all year.”

Weiss gave a thoughtful hum. “Yes, I’d imagine that would be stressful.”

“Yeah,” Ruby replied. “I was hoping I’d randomly get matched with another were, but the instant I got a whiff of you…”

_ “What?” _ Weiss asked with alarm. Ruby dropped her spoon in shock, apparently realizing what she had just said.

“No! Wait, it’s not like that!” She reassured, her ears flattening against her head. “It’s not that you smelled  _ bad _ or anything - you smell really good actually! I really like your perfume! - it’s just that, you see, weres have really sensitive noses, and…”

At this point, Weiss’ laughter had become loud enough that Ruby stopped talking in embarrassment. She waited for Weiss to finish, feeling her face get warmer by the second - and not from the stove.

“What I  _ meant  _ to say,” Ruby said hotly, “is that I can distinguish humans and weres by scent. I just knew you were human as soon as you walked in. That’s all.”

“Ah, I see,” Weiss said, still chuckling to herself. Ruby crossed her arms indignantly, and Weiss just shook her head at the sight. 

“Never change, Ruby Rose,” Weiss laughed. Ruby finally giggled, giving her a warm smile.

A timer went off on Ruby’s scroll.

“Oh, the pasta’s done!” She said. She began straining it over the sink, and once combined with the sauce, their gourmet college dorm room meal was ready. Ruby handed Weiss a bowl and a fork, and the pair sat at their respective desks to eat, lacking a table.

“This is lovely, thank you,” Weiss said after taking a few bites.

“Thanks!” Ruby grinned. “I’m honestly flattered - I figure you’ve been to a bunch of fancy restaurants and stuff…” Weiss sighed. She very rarely enjoyed conversations about her father’s wealth, but Ruby had brought it up in the most innocent way possible. It was clear from the first moment that Ruby didn’t judge her for it, or even think about it very much, something that made her incredibly unique among the people that Weiss had met.

“I have been to  _ far _ too many fancy restaurants,” Weiss replied. “I’d never had a home-cooked meal before I met you, and I must say that I prefer this.”

“You don’t mean that,” Ruby said. By her tone, Weiss could tell was more from a place of her own self-doubt than one of distrust.

“No, I mean it sincerely,” Weiss said. “Meals always had to be such an  _ affair _ back home - I needed an outfit, table manners, that sort of thing. They were all full of such pomp and circumstance and they took  _ forever. _ It’s very nice to just sit back and eat some home-cooked pasta in my bedclothes.” She gestured to her current outfit, which was a simple, ice-blue nightgown.

“That’s fair,” Ruby said with a laugh. “I’m sorry to hear that you never got to really  _ enjoy _ meals like this…”

“The company helps,” Weiss said, without thinking. As soon as the phrase left her mouth, she wanted to jam her foot into it. She winced internally at how easily her usual filters had gone down - even so late at night, she was rarely ever so candid. There was just something about Ruby Rose that made her feel so…  _ free, _ in many senses of the word. 

Weiss found this concept to be equal parts elating and terrifying.

“Thanks,” Ruby laughed, bringing Weiss back to the present. “You’re not so bad yourself. Once you managed to chill out a little, anyways.”

“What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Weiss asked.

“Nothing, nothing!” Ruby laughed. “I just… my first impression of you was that you were just a  _ little bit  _ uptight.” 

“I am  _ not _ uptight!” Weiss replied, indignant.

“Yeah, exactly like that!” Ruby said, laughing at her own joke. 

“You’re insufferable.” Weiss said, hiding a grin.

“Love you too,” Ruby said casually. They both stopped, slowly processing what had actually left her mouth.

A beat passed. The room was impossibly still.

“I… sorry…” Ruby said. “Yang and I do that all the time, I didn’t mean to…” 

“No, no, it’s fine, it was just a little unexpected,” Weiss said, half talking over Ruby.

“Yeah, no, I totally get that,” Ruby said. “What with Yang today, and…”

“Yeah…” Weiss said. They both quietly trailed off, thinking.

“Do you…” Ruby began, then stopped.

Weiss just gave her an inquisitive hum, prompting her to continue.

“I… well. I’ve been wondering if you even… you know… like girls.  _ Like _ like girls, that is.”

Weiss looked her right in the eyes. “Promise you won’t tell your sister?”

“Scout’s honor!” Ruby said with a grin. Weiss leaned back in her chair, satisfied with that.

“Yes, I do. I’m pretty sure I  _ only _ like girls,” she said. “My father would often introduce me to... ‘eligible bachelors’ my age, and I never cared for any of them. I thought I was just maybe meeting the wrong men, but the more I reflected on it, I realized that in every story I’ve ever read, I identify with the lonely female protagonist  _ right _ up until the part where she falls in love with the man.” Ruby immediately snorted.

“What a mood,” she replied. “I’m quite similar - just a tiny little lesbian.”

“You’re taller than me.” Weiss contested. Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Weiss, I don’t know how to break this to you, but you’re also tiny,” Ruby said.

“Hey! I’ve got an average height!” Weiss declared. “Your perspective is just skewed by that mountain you call a sister.”

“Fair, fair,” Ruby replied. She checked her scroll. “Jeez, it’s almost midnight.”

“Ugh, already?” Weiss asked. She suddenly realized how exhausted she was.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ruby said, slowly standing from her desk. “Here, lemme take your bowl.”

“I thought dishes were  _ my _ responsibility,” Weiss protested.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m leaving you two dirty pots,” Ruby said. They both quietly chuckled, and Weiss handed over her bowl. She couldn’t help but watch Ruby bend over to put them both in the dishwasher - Weiss had to admit, her tail really enhanced the whole affair. 

Weiss blinked her eyes, consciously processing that little unconscious realization.

Damn it all. That obnoxious blonde was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm unreasonably proud of the calendar thing
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this chapter! It's extra-long this time, there was just a lot that I wanted to do and it just kinda... kept going, lmao. Hope you all enjoyed, and please let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> EDIT: Wow, thank you all so much for 200 kudos! This work has been my most successful by far, so thank you all for coming along. I can't *wait* to show you what comes next - oh, MAN, you all aren't ready for what's next. Let's just say that this world has a bit more than werecreatures...
> 
> -Red


	5. Parents and Family Weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! It'll be worth it, I hope - I'm really proud of this chapter!
> 
> -Red

“Awesome! I can’t wait to see you!” Ruby said, hopping off her bed in excitement.

“Ruby, it’s been three weeks. You miss me already?”

“Well, that, but I’m also so excited for you to come by and see Beacon and stuff!”

“I am too, sweetie, but I’ve done this trip a couple of times now. Remember two years ago when we went to see Yang?”

“Of course I do! But this time you’re visiting _me!”_

Taiyang laughed.

“That’s true, but I’m here for your sister too, okay?” Ruby sat down on her bed again.

“I know, I know - she’s really excited for you to meet Blake and all that…”

Ruby considered that for a moment. She figured that her dad would be utterly _shocked_ that Blake was so quiet in comparison to his firecracker of a daughter, but would soon recover by making a joke about opposites attracting.

“Is there anybody you want me to meet?” Tai asked, bringing Ruby back into focus. “All of your friends are welcome at dinner tomorrow.”

“Umm…” Ruby didn’t really talk to too many people who weren’t already coming to that meal, but then her eyes landed on the gentle white-haired girl taking notes from something up on her laptop. “You can meet Weiss!” Ruby said, wrapping her into a hug to emphasize the point.

“Wh - Ruby!” Weiss exclaimed, pulling out one of her wireless earbuds as she was nearly knocked out of her chair.

“Sorry,” Ruby laughed, giving Weiss the wolfish grin that made it so frustratingly difficult to stay angry with her. “Wanna go to dinner with my dad tomorrow? Blake and Yang are gonna be there!”

Weiss looked down at her roommate, who was now kneeling next to her chair, her tail wagging expectantly.

“I - I’ll have to check with my father,” Weiss said, embarrassed. 

“Okay!” Ruby said, unperturbed. “Let us know!”

She then got up and returned to discussing a few details with her father, so Weiss replaced her earbud.

Weiss’ mind drifted at the looming presence of Parents and Family Weekend. Shockingly, her father had actually told her that he would be attending, which frustrated her immensely. He was almost always gone on business trips, but apparently Beacon College had just happened to choose one of his exceedingly rare free weekends. She’d reached out to him with a few restaurant suggestions, and while she imagined that he already had a hotel room and everything, he hadn’t responded in almost four days, and she was getting just slightly frustrated at that. She was happy to make other plans, or just stay in her room by herself, but the uncertainty prevented her from planning on either activity until she heard.

“Bye, Dad. See you tomorrow!” The sound of Ruby ending her call made Weiss look up. “So, what did you say about having to hear from your dad?” Ruby asked her.

Weiss sighed internally. She knew that Ruby just wanted to know for the sake of making plans, and she was mostly able to convince herself that Ruby was inviting her because she genuinely enjoyed her company and not just as a formality, but…

“It’s okay, you should probably just make a reservation for four - I’m sure my father will want to take me to some fancy restaurant in town.”

“Weiss.” Ruby said. “Do you _really_ think we’re going to a place that expects reservations?”

“I… suppose you have a point,” Weiss admitted.

Ruby sat down at her desk, gently putting her hand on Weiss’ shoulder.

“We’re going to a pizza place that’s near Blake and Yang’s apartment. If you don’t hear anything or whatever… come with us?”

Weiss wanted so badly to say yes, even if she _did_ hear from her father. Fun, casual dinner with Ruby and her family sounded lovely, especially when weighed against the prospect of a cold, pompous dinner with her father.

“I… I’ll let you know,” Weiss said, with an awkward smile.

“Okay!” Ruby replied. Her face then softened, as she leaned back. “You really haven’t heard from your dad at _all?”_

“Not in four days, no,” Weiss said, letting some of her frustration show.

“Ugh, what a jerk,” Ruby said casually.

“I…” Weiss, for some reason, began to defend her father, but the sentence died on her lips. She already trusted Ruby with this information - she trusted Ruby with basically anything. After all, Ruby was trusting Weiss with her most precious secret, so it felt fair to return the favor.

“I mean, you said he was ‘the worst,’ right?” Ruby asked.

“I… didn’t think you would remember that night,” Weiss admitted. “When you were in your… wolf?” Ruby nodded, to indicate that her terminology was correct.

“Some memories are a bit fuzzy, but I usually get most of it,” Ruby said.

Weiss’ cheeks turned pink.

“So… you remember…”

“Oh! I, um… yeah…” Ruby shrugged, putting one hand on the back of her neck and looking away. “Sorry if that was weird, I just… you were pretty distressed, and it seemed like petting a puppy would help you calm down, so…”

“I…” Weiss laughed. “It worked, so I suppose that you were right.”

“Well,” Ruby began. She seemed to be a little nervous, suddenly, but she shored up her resolve and continued. “I’d be happy to help - that is, I could change into my wolf again, if you like. Just… say the word!”

Weiss snorted. She couldn’t help herself - Ruby was frustratingly adorable when she was nervous like this. Weiss was nervous too, so she was also trying desperately not to show it.

“I’ll let you know,” she said. She didn’t intend to, but the comment was a little sarcastic. When she heard it, Ruby’s ears drooped a little, which made Weiss furious with herself.

“All right!” Ruby said, halfhearted. Weiss could tell that she now regretted making the offer in the first place. She got up and went to the kitchen.

Weiss’ frustration at her mistake boiled over, and she gathered up her courage. She could fix this. Pulling her earbuds back out again, she asked, “Ruby?”

“Mm?” She answered, a baking sheet in her hand.

“If you’re not busy after dinner tonight… I’d like that.” Ruby quirked an eyebrow, and Weiss became even more embarrassed that she’d have to explain. “I mean… you being in your wolf. If you don’t have plans or anything, that would be really nice. It’s been a long week.”

Ruby’s thousand-watt smile made every single ounce of embarrassment worth it.

“I have a commission that I want to finish tonight, but I could probably work on that once everything’s in the oven,” She said. 

Weiss gave her a smile, standing up and walking over to Ruby’s stereo.

“What’re you in the mood for tonight?” She asked, looking through Ruby’s tapes.

“Hmm… maybe some Billy Joel?” She asked. “It’s got a black cover.”

“I actually have heard some Billy Joel,” Weiss said proudly.

Ruby just laughed, and Weiss inserted the tape.

* * *

“You still haven’t heard?” Ruby asked, tying her sneaker.

“No,” Weiss said, frustrated. She was staring at her scroll, debating whether she should text again. Her father had read the one she’d sent that morning, but still hadn’t responded to it, or to her previous message.

“Sorry,” Ruby said. She put her hand on Weiss’ shoulder. “My dad’s outside. Come with us?”

Weiss looked up over her shoulder into a tender pair of silver eyes.

Those damned eyes were really going to be the death of her.

“All right,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Let me grab my shoes.”

  
  


“Ruby!” A man’s voice called out. Weiss looked up to see Yang, Blake, and a tall, blond man who looked almost _exactly_ like Yang waving to them.

“Hey, Dad!” Ruby called. She walked over, gesturing for Weiss to follow. The man opened his arms, and Ruby happily jumped up into the hug.

“You’re Weiss, right?” He asked, putting his daughter down. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yes,” Weiss said, giving a shallow curtsy. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rose.”

Blake and Yang snickered a bit at her curtsy, though she could tell it was good-natured.

“It’s Mr. Xiao Long, actually, but please, call me Tai.” He replied.

“Oh!” Weiss said. She looked over at Ruby, who explained.

“‘Rose’ was my mom’s last name,” she said.

Weiss merely nodded. She’d pieced together that Ruby’s mother wasn’t around anymore, but Ruby almost never spoke of her, and it was an area she didn’t dare enter without an express invitation.

“All right!” Yang said, taking Blake’s hand, almost as if she were purposefully steering the conversation away from the heavy subject. “Shall we dine on only the most fabulous pizza?”

This immediately got a laugh out of Blake, who seemed all too happy to hold hands. Weiss couldn’t help the tiny twinge of jealousy she felt while watching them.

“We shall!” Taiyang declared, in the same overdramatic joke voice as his daughter. “Onward, to pizza!”

  
  


* * *

“So, Blake,” Taiyang asked, mouth half full of pizza, “Your parents couldn’t make it?”

“Unfortunately not,” Blake said. “They live pretty far, and they’re both so busy…”

Taiyang just nodded his understanding. “Same for you, Weiss?” He asked.

“Pretty much,” she said, not wanting to get into it. “He might be here tomorrow, but he probably got caught up with work.” 

“Well, if either of you need a place to stay locally, our house is always open,” he said, like it was nothing.

Weiss and Blake just kind of stared at him, surprised. Their eyes met, and they came to an unspoken understanding rather quickly - neither of them had ever been offered something like that before. Each just muttered her thanks.

“Oh!” Tai said. “What’re your girls’ majors?”

“History,” Blake said, speaking up first.

“Ah,” Tai said. “I dunno if my girls have told you, but I’m a high school teacher. I’ve substituted for a few history classes, and on the rare chance that I can afford to pay attention to the video instead of grading papers, I’ve always found it interesting.”

“I generally think so, too,” Blake agreed. “Though I _could_ stand to read a bit less of ancient white guys talking about all the places they conquered.” Tai and Yang laughed together, and Weiss could suddenly tell where she got it from.

“How about you, Weiss?” Tai asked. 

“I’m in Political Science at the moment,” she said. “It’s mostly just gen-ed stuff right now, and I might end up changing my major.”

“Ah, no shame in that!” He said. “I changed mine, after my first semester.”

“Where did you start?” Weiss asked, curious. Ruby laughed from beside her.

“He was a chemical engineering major,” she teased.

“Despite being _terrible_ at math,” Yang added.

“Hey, I was just interested in chemistry!” Tai exclaimed. “I don’t know where Yang got her mind for math, though, because it didn’t come from me.” Weiss raised an eyebrow, and Yang explained. “I’m a physical therapy major,” she said. “Surprising amount of math.”

“My uncle Qrow says that Dad would spend _hours_ on one problem,” Ruby continued.

“Your uncle?” Blake asked.

“Qrow and I were roommates for our freshman year,” Tai said, elegantly changing the subject. “It’s actually how I met Yang’s mom.”

“Yeah,” Yang snorted. “He asked Qrow who ‘that hot girl’ was, and he said -”

“‘My _sister,_ you asshole!” Ruby interjected, doing what Weiss imagined was an impression of her uncle. 

This got laughs from around the table, to Tai’s chagrin.

“If you girls brought your dear old dad here just so you could make fun of him, I’m sure you could at least stand to pay for his parking,” he said, pouting.

Weiss felt an unfamiliar warmth in her chest. There was something about being here, with these four other people - despite not knowing them very well, she was having a lovely time. The pizza was far better than she’d expected, and while Tai was just as loud and quirky as his eldest daughter, their dynamic had already grown on her quite a bit. She looked at Blake, comfortably nestled under Yang’s arm, and Ruby, grinning like an idiot as her father crossed his arms in mock irritation, and it suddenly felt like there wasn’t anywhere else that she would rather be. It almost felt like… well, like family.

“Hey,” Ruby said quietly, as Tai and Yang were having a spirited debate about something, with the occasional giggle from Blake. “You okay? You’ve been spaced out for a bit.”

“I’m okay,” Weiss said, a smile easily finding its way to her face. “I’m actually having a lot of fun.”

Ruby nudged her arm. “See? Told you you’d be glad that you came.”

“Yes,” Weiss said, resisting the urge to lean back into Ruby and rest her cheek on that lovely mop of hair. “You were right.”

* * *

“So then I turn the corner and there they are,” Tai said. “And he’s got her lipstick _all over_ his face, and they both just _freeze_ as soon as they see me. We just stare at each other for, like… ten seconds, and I finally just ask, ‘do you have hall passes?’”

Everyone burst into laughter as they walked back to Weiss and Ruby’s dorm.

“So?” Blake asked, on the edge of her metaphorical seat. “Did they?”

“Yep!” Tai laughed. “They both just… wordlessly held them up…” he faithfully pantomimed this, getting more laughter. “And I was just so surprised and embarrassed for them that I just kind of… nodded, and turned back around.”

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. She couldn’t even comprehend that level of embarrassment.

As their laughter died down, they approached the dorm building that had become Weiss’ home with Ruby in the past few weeks. She shivered a bit in the late September chill, wishing that she’d brought a coat. It had gotten much colder after nightfall.

Then her eyes recognized a man in a tailored white suit, and her entire body froze over.

“Uh… Weiss?” Ruby asked. Her eyes followed Weiss’ gaze, and stopped on the same man.

“Th… that’s my father,” she squeaked out. The rest of the group remained silent. Weiss knew she was being pathetic by just freezing up like this, but she couldn’t help it. The fears and worry that she’d pushed away earlier that afternoon instantaneously re-entered her system, and were thousands of times stronger now that they’d essentially come true. 

“Weiss!” The man tersely announced. She twitched as she recognized his tone, and the way that it cooled once he saw that she wasn’t alone.

“Father,” she managed. They closed the distance between them, though Weiss and the group around her were much more hesitant to do so than her father was.

“I’ve been calling you for hours, where were you?” He asked. She could tell that he was putting on his “normal parent” mask, but she knew the _exact_ amount of anger that lay underneath.

“I… I ... “ Weiss spluttered.

“I apologize, she was with me,” A voice said from beside her. To her utter shock, Ruby’s dad had stepped up to meet her father, offering to shake his hand. “Taiyang Xiao Long. Our daughters are roommates.”

“I… see…” he replied. He took the hand smoothly, with the experience of a thousand business deals. “Jacques Schnee. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Tai smiled.

“I’m sorry if Weiss didn’t check her scroll,” Tai continued. “Her table manners were too good, even as she was probably bored to death by my long stories.” It was a jovial attempt at self-deprecating humor _and_ an indirect compliment to Jacques, which Weiss found impressive, but her father remained immune to pleasantries.

“Yes, well, I apologize that she even attended in the first place,” Jacques said. “I had a reservation in the city, but I was held up by a minor emergency at work and couldn’t get a hold of her beforehand.”

“No need to apologize!” Tai said, perfectly able to tell what Jacques had _actually_ meant to express, and choosing to remain polite. “She was an absolute delight.” Ruby, Blake, and Yang all nodded at this.

“We were all getting dinner together anyways,” Ruby added, moving just a bit forward past Weiss - almost protectively. Weiss’ heart melted as she stepped up to the metaphorical plate, meeting her father in the eyes. “And when she said that she hadn’t heard anything, I invited her along.”

“Oh!” Tai said, backing Ruby up. “I forgot to introduce my daughters. This is Ruby, Weiss’ roommate. And this is my other daughter, Yang.”

“A pleasure, of course,” Jacques said. Ruby’s skin practically crawled at the false smoothness of his voice. His eyes narrowed on Blake. “And you are?”

Blake took a tiny step forward, taking Yang’s hand. Jacques quirked an eyebrow.

“I’m Yang’s girlfriend, Blake.” 

Every pair of eyes in the group besides Weiss’ stared directly at Jacques, daring him to have a problem with that. 

“I see,” he replied. Only Weiss could tell that he was hiding a sneer. “Splendid to meet you all, indeed.” His eyes narrowed on Weiss, who nearly squeaked with discomfort. “But I’m afraid that Weiss and I must be going back to my hotel - we have _so_ much to catch up on.”

“Of - of course,” Weiss replied, shrinking up into her shell. Her heart fell as she crossed sides of the group, standing next to her father. Her eyes met each of the others’ in turn, settling on Ruby’s, which were filled with worry.

“All right,” Tai said. “Have a lovely rest of the evening, and sorry for the mix-up.” There was something in his voice that Weiss couldn’t quite place - she knew he wouldn’t exactly _like_ her father, but there was another layer to it that she didn’t understand. It was as if he could already perceive what a horrible monster the man really was. Blake and Yang were looking at him contemptuously, too - Ruby hadn’t told them about him, had she?

“See you tomorrow, Weiss?” Ruby asked.

“Of course!” Weiss replied, hoping she was telling the truth and that her father wouldn't whisk her back to Atlas in his anger. This seemed to put Ruby at ease, but only a little. 

“It was nice to meet you, sir,” Tai said. His eyes met Weiss’. Slowly and deliberately, he said, “If you ever need anything, give me a call.”

“I’ll send you his number,” Ruby said, whipping out her scroll.

“Yes, thank you,” Jacques said, replying for her. “We really must be going, now - our car is waiting.” He stepped away briskly, and Weiss turned to follow, giving Ruby a hollow little wave. She mentally prepared herself for all of the yelling she was about to endure.

  
  
  
  


As Weiss’ footsteps faded away, Ruby seethed. She turned to her family, quietly asking, “You all smelled him too, didn’t you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading - let me know what you think!
> 
> -Red


	6. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I bet you weren't expecting to hear from me so soon!  
> Plus, just to add to the surprise, inspiration has apparently just hit me like a train this weekend, because this chapter is actually just under six and a half thousand words, which is around twice my usual length. So please, get comfortable, maybe grab a snack, and enjoy this chapter of the Werewolf of Beacon! 
> 
> -Red
> 
> (also, TW: some very minor violence and mentions of blood)

“Young lady, do you have even the  _ slightest _ idea how much disgrace you have brought to my name?”

Weiss flinched. The talks always got bad whenever her father talked about bloodlines.

“No, sir.” She looked at the floor of the limo. “That wasn’t my intention. I apologize profusely.” At least her fake apologies were getting better, though she feared that she had learned too much from his example. 

Her father leaned back with a sigh. Weiss was curious at this - he usually had much more energy for yelling. “You really will need to learn the value of such things, you know,” he said. 

Weiss didn’t really know what to say to that, so she remained silent, hoping that her father was about to just have an angry, one-sided rant that she could merely endure and then ignore afterwards. 

Instead, however, Jacques’ scroll rang. He gave Weiss a “this isn’t over” glare, and answered it. Quickly, he began a very businesslike exchange with the person on the other end, which Weiss had essentially heard many times over. She waited for him to turn away and look out the window, and then pulled out her own scroll. She didn’t  _ really  _ try to hide it from him (they were directly facing one another in an enclosed space, after all) but she was subtle enough that she figured she wouldn’t draw his eyes. Immediately, she noticed a few messages from Ruby. She had shared her father’s number, as well as Yang’s. Two minutes later, she had also sent Blake’s number, and then asked:

_ You ok? _

Weiss hid a tiny smile - it was truly touching that Ruby cared so much about all the people around her. Weiss figured she should message all of the new contacts in her phone, but she first replied:

_ Yes. Apparently I’ve disgraced the family name, but I’m sure that we’ll recover. _

_ Whew _

_ Okay _

_ Sorry, I was… worried _

_ Well I’m flattered, but trust me, I’ve dealt with this before. I’ll be fine. _

_ See you tomorrow. _

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Ruby, stop pacing. You’re just gonna make yourself more upset.”

Ruby stopped, and sighed. 

“You’re right, but…” She rubbed at her eyes in frustration. “Do you think she knows?”

Tai shrugged, looking far too large for Ruby’s bed as he sat on it. Blake and Yang sat in the only two chairs in the room, which they had only selected because Ruby had too much energy to sit. 

“She probably doesn’t,” Blake said. “I mean… she freaked out when she saw  _ you, _ didn’t she? Even if you were the first wolf she’d seen, I think she’d be more surprised if she’d met other supernatural creatures.”

“But then… why would he keep it from her?” She paused. “Do you think she’s… you know…  _ actually _ human? If he’s not?”

She looked to Tai. 

“Hey, don’t look at me. You’re the one who spends the most time with her. Have you smelled anything else?”

Ruby tried to think back for a while, but she was interrupted by a buzz from her scroll.

“She’s okay! She’s okay.”

The room breathed a collective sigh of relief. Ruby tapped out a response, then replied to her dad, “I’ve never smelled anything else on her, so… maybe he was turned after she was born?”

“Either way,” Yang said, crossing her arms. “The most important thing we all have to think about now is…” she trailed off. Ruby nodded.

“Do we tell her?”

* * *

Jacques, naturally, had a room at a local five-star hotel. He strode directly to the elevator, punching the button hastily. He was  _ still _ on the phone, and Weiss was trying pretty hard not to roll her eyes - it was so very like him to demand that she accompany him back to her hotel, and then immediately spend that entire trip talking to someone else. Jacques selected a high floor once the elevator came, and Weiss was genuinely surprised that it wasn’t the top one.

They rode the elevator up in relative silence, though Weiss could just barely hear the chatter of the person on the other end of the line. Something that that person said, however, made Jacques’ brow furrow. 

“Tonight?” She heard him mutter. “Are you sure?”

Weiss raised an eyebrow at this. It was rather late, already past nine. She couldn’t imagine what business dealing would take place so late on a Friday night, but most of her fathers’ contacts had very little regard for privacy or timing.

“Of course. I understand.” He finally hung up his scroll. Conveniently, the elevator stopped, and Jacques immediately stepped out. Weiss, ever dutiful, followed him into his hotel room. 

“Weiss,” he began, once they were inside. “I’m concerned about your commitment to this family and its goals.” Weiss was just  _ barely _ able to resist pointing out that they were  _ his _ goals, and his alone, directing a family that he had married into. Instead, she merely met his eyes, letting him continue.

“Now, I have a very important meeting in town tonight, in just a few minutes or so.” He tented his fingers as he sat in the room’s singular armchair. “I would like for you to come along. I believe that it will help you better understand just how  _ important _ the family business is.”

Weiss had almost always capitulated to her father’s desires. Truth be told, it was all that she’d really known. However, when her sister had all but removed herself from the Schnee family name by attending a military academy right out of high school, Weiss had realized that her father wasn’t all-powerful. She had learned that she could push back against him on small things, like her decision to attend Beacon College instead of the more prestigious Atlas University. This process had gone over remarkably well - Jacques had seemed mostly too busy to care. Still, she had never outright  _ refused _ her father, not a direct request. But perhaps the obvious love and care that Ruby shared with her family had emboldened Weiss enough to know that she didn’t owe this man any loyalty - after all, he had never shown any to her.

“Father, no. It’s very late, my college work has been exhausting this week, and I still have a lot to catch up on. I appreciate the opportunity, but I don’t believe that I’ll properly…” she thought for a moment. What did he want to hear? “... represent the family, at such an important meeting.” She hated the inherently manipulative way that she’d phrased her refusal.

Jacques, upon hearing this, immediately grew angry. He stood, suddenly towering over Weiss.

“Young lady, you presume _very_ much to presume you have a choice in this matter. I am _ordering_ you to attend!”  
“NO!” Weiss shouted. Everything stopped - for a moment, Weiss had surprised even herself. She exhaled. “You can’t force me. I’m going home and focusing on my -” Weiss paused, realizing she _may_ have just stepped too far. She had only lived at Beacon College for a few weeks, but already she’d called it ‘home’ - and by the look in her father’s eyes, he’d noticed it too. Weiss’ anger started to deflate, her throat suddenly too dry.

Wordlessly, Jacques advanced on her, seizing her wrist. He pulled her towards him, and Weiss gasped in surprise. For a moment, her instincts took over, and she defended herself. 

Fencing was remarkably different from hand-to-hand combat. Fencing had a certain elegance to it, a set of rules. Weiss was used to wearing full-body gear, attached to a retractable cord that enabled the electronic scoring system, and most importantly, wielding a sword. However, if fencing had taught her one thing, it was the unique interactions between her sword and her opponent’s - the ways that they would engage and disengage from one another, what her opponent would and wouldn’t be able to properly react to, due to limitations of either time or the range of motion possible for a human arm. 

So, in that instant, almost without realizing it, Weiss disengaged herself from his grip - pushing her arm  _ towards _ him, and not away - by grabbing her, Jacques had given her a direct line past his “sword” - the only thing, in this split second, he could have used to defend himself. Thusly, Weiss - almost on instinct - shoved her arm towards her father, striking him in the chest. Her fist immediately hurt, because she had no idea how to properly make one, but Jacques’ hand slid up her arm, and as a result, he wasn’t able to keep his grip as tight once it was on her bicep instead of her wrist. Weiss pulled free, immediately stepping back to meet her father’s eyes.

Jacques was completely unhurt by her punch, which didn’t surprise Weiss at all. He still seemed angry, but he also seemed to have realized that he took a step farther than perhaps he should have, and Weiss immediately capitalized on his momentary hesitation. Squaring her shoulders, resolute, Weiss stood her ground.

“I’m leaving. Goodnight.”

She turned on her heel and left the room.

Weiss’ heart  _ raced _ as she briskly walked down the stairs. Unsure as to whether he was following her, but not daring to look back, she moved as quickly as she could, furious with herself for wearing a kitten heel. Simultaneously, though, she was elated - she’d stood up to him! And she’d even managed to hold her composure!

As the immediate rush died down, though, the potential fallout of her actions began to creep into her mind. She knew that she had made the  _ right _ choice, the one for herself - but she didn’t exactly expect her father to just let her get away with this. They’d had arguments before, but there was a new layer to this one - normally, Jacques was always the one to end the conversation. This was the first time that Weiss had been the one to leave  _ him, _ and she doubted that he would simply stew for a while and return to normal, as she usually did in that position. 

There were still several floors to go, and Weiss figured she should probably begin arranging a way back to her dorm room - she wasn’t about to simply let her father catch up to her at the curb as she waited for a car. When she took out her scroll, there was another text from Ruby. 

_ When’re you gonna be back? _

Weiss punched the “call” button. To her shock, Ruby picked up immediately.

“Weiss? Weiss are you oka-”

“Now,” Weiss replied. “I’m on my way back now.”

“Huh? Oh - yeah, okay, great.” She paused. “What… what happened?”

“An… argument,” Weiss said. She figured that Ruby could hear the echo of her hurried footsteps in the stairwell. “I’m leaving, and my father  _ may _ not have expressly approved of that.” She paused. “He… he grabbed me.”

Ruby seemed to immediately understand. “Where are you right now?”

“His hotel - does your father perhaps have his car?”

“No, I’m sorry, his parking was going to expire so he had to run. Blake and Yang just went back to their place, too. Where in the city is the hotel?”

“Uh… one second…” Weiss flicked to the map application on her phone. She heard some rustling on Ruby’s end - was she making her bed or something?

Weiss found the address, and immediately relayed this information to Ruby.

“Okay - do you know if he’s following you down?”

“Not in the stairwell, but I don’t know about the elevator.”

“All right, then you shouldn’t stay. Do you think you can head back alone?”

“I…” Weiss hesitated to show weakness like this, but the thankfully serious way that Ruby was handling these circumstances made her feel comfortable enough to tell the truth. “I could find my way, but I’d be worried about having to wait for a car…” At this, there was immediately more rustling, as if Ruby was hurriedly packing.

“Okay. Are you almost out of the stairwell?”

“Two more floors.” 

“When you get to the bottom, peek out and see if he’s there. If he is, find somewhere to hide, like a lobby or something on a random floor. If not, take a moment, catch your breath, and walk out of there as if you belong there and things are totally normal.”

“O-okay…” Weiss had made it to the bottom, and she casually looked through the heavy door’s tall, thin window. There were a few people sitting in the lobby, but her father was miraculously not among them. “I don’t see him.”

Ruby exhaled in relief.

“Good. Okay. Catch your breath for a second. I’m on my way there, okay?”

Weiss faltered. 

“Y-you are?” Ruby’s voice softened.

“Of course - I’ll be there, sooner than you think. Meet me in the park that’s two blocks down, when you take a left out of the hotel. Sit down on a bench or something, one that’s out of the way if you can find it. I’ll see you soon. Okay?”

“O-okay…”

“Don’t worry, Weiss. I won’t let him get near you and we’ll figure this out.”

“Right.” She paused. “Thank you, Ruby. For… for doing this.”

There was a tiny pause.

“Of course. I… I’ll always be there for you when you need me.” On her end, there was more rustling, but it sounded less like clothes and almost like… a tree? A bush? It was hard to tell. “Gotta go - I’ll be there soon! Two blocks down, find a bench, relatively secluded. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. See you soon.” At this, Ruby hung up the call.

* * *

Weiss spent a minute making sure that her breathing had gone back to normal. She was sweating a little, but not too visibly, especially once she wiped her brow. She checked the lobby again, but her father still wasn’t there. Weiss was also very thankful that no one had taken the stairwell in all the time she’d been there. She took one more deep breath, and began to follow Ruby’s instructions.

She pushed the door open confidently, making her way through the lobby as if she owned the building. It was a very short walk, but for Weiss, it was still full of tension as she tried to not obviously look around for her father. Nobody paid her much mind, though, and she pushed through the revolving front door.

The cool night air was a huge relief for Weiss, but she made sure not to dwell on it as she took a sharp left turn and walked along the sidewalk. She checked her scroll - it was already nearly ten o’clock at night. The dinner with Ruby’s family (which already felt like a lifetime ago)  _ had _ ended rather late, plus the twenty-minute car ride, the argument with her father, and the time she’d spent in the stairs… it all added up in Weiss’ mind, but she was concerned about walking alone that late.

But she wouldn’t be alone, she reminded herself. Ruby was on her way.

However, Weiss slowly began to realize that Ruby had only left their room (based on when their call had ended) five minutes ago, and Weiss was on her way to the park already. Their room was twenty minutes away by car, and even if Ruby had very quickly found one through an app or something… Weiss was going to be at that park for a while.

But Ruby had said that she’d be there, “Sooner than you think,” and… Weiss trusted her. The way that she’d reacted - taking the situation seriously, but without the slightest judgment, and even immediately dropping everything to go to her… it meant a lot, to Weiss. She had a fair amount of evidence that Ruby was just sort of like that, as a person - she’d already opened up so much of her life to Weiss, so freely, in a way that seemed  _ normal _ for her. Even if Ruby was the kind of person who would do this for anyone, Weiss was genuinely, truly honored that Ruby was willing to do it for her.

Weiss could see the park - it had a wrought-iron fence around it, and the meager light from the streetlamps was enough for Weiss to tell that that fence didn’t have any obvious gaps. Immediately, she grew worried - was the park closed? It was already late at night, so such a thing wasn’t out of the question. She could  _ probably _ get over the relatively short fence if she needed to, but the whole point of going to the park, Weiss had assumed, was being in public. Even  _ if _ she got in, she wouldn’t be protected by the random bystanders. 

Weiss made it to the fence, and tried to look casual as she searched for a gate. To her relief, she quickly found one, and it was thankfully unlocked. Weiss walked into the park, and a sign immediately clarified the need for the fence - this was a  _ dog _ park, in the middle of the city. The fence was there so that the dogs could run around off-leash. The park was also, very fortunately, somewhat populated - a few late-night dog owners had taken their pets out one more time before bed. 

Weiss sought a bench, and was relieved to find one in the corner of the park, near some bushes. She sat, caught her breath, and casually checked her scroll, still pretending that she was just a normal city girl going about her business. She didn’t have any messages or missed calls from Ruby  _ or _ from her father. Weiss hoped that he was just seething, and would get over himself in a few days, but… he’d never  _ grabbed _ her like that before. All for a business meeting late at night…

Why  _ had  _ he wanted her to attend that meeting? Weiss knew that her father had nearly thousands of meetings like this one every year, so what was special about it? If it was just a normal meeting, why had he been so insistent that she attend?

Weiss shook her head, trying to ignore her swirling thoughts. She could worry about that later - her primary concern was getting home and knowing that she was safe. And she knew that she would feel safer as soon as Ruby got there, so all she had to do was… wait.

She looked out around the park, taking in the scenery. It was small, but quaint. It was a great location, too - one of the small rivers that ran through the city was on one side of the park, with only the fence to distinguish where the park ended and where its banks began. Weiss’ favorite thing about the city of Vale over Atlas was its greater connection to nature. Atlas barely had any trees, but Vale was almost full of them - even in the most metropolitan areas, there were tiny parks like this, little splotches of green amongst all the greys. Near Beacon’s campus, which was closer to the edges of the city than to its heart, they became even more common. After all, there were even those woods near campus where Ruby, Blake, and Yang had apparently spent the last moon.

Weiss hadn’t actually talked to Ruby about how her first full moon at college had gone. She’d just taken an overnight bag out last Wednesday night, and returned with it (wearing the same clothes) the next morning. Back then, Weiss had assumed that Ruby wanted to keep the more serious parts of her nature as a werewolf hidden, but… the way that she’d snuggled with Ruby in her wolf last night had given her cause to reconsider. 

The night air, which had previously been soothing for Weiss’ hot, adrenaline-filled body, began to feel more chilling. She checked her scroll again - it had only been five minutes since she’d sat, so it would probably be another five before Ruby got there, at  _ least. _

Weiss shivered, trying to pass the time, when she heard one of the dogs in the park trotting up to her. She’d been so preoccupied with her worry that she hadn’t noticed it get close. It was  _ huge, _ for a dog, with straight brown fur, and… wait a minute.

_ “Ruby?” _ Weiss asked. Sure enough, the wolf put her front paws up on the bench next to Weiss, giving her a lick on the cheek after Weiss recognized her silver eyes. She also noticed, oddly, that Ruby was wearing a  _ collar, _ though she supposed that she would look conspicuous without one in a city like this. 

“You said you were coming, but…” Weiss trailed off, realizing that they were still somewhat in public. If she didn’t pretend that this “dog” was  _ hers, _ it would look strange. “What now?” She whispered, scratching Ruby’s ears like she imagined an affectionate dog owner would. Ruby hopped off the bench and began to walk around behind it, near the bushes at the corner of the park, clearly intending for Weiss to follow.

Feeling a little bit silly, Weiss checked her surroundings once more, looking for that blindingly white suit. However, the street remained dark, the passers-by wearing mostly muted colors. Weiss hunched down on her knees next to Ruby, almost completely hidden between two wide bushes.

Weiss noticed a small black bag with backpack straps resting in the grass. Vaguely, she remembered it hanging up in their closet somewhere, so Ruby must have stashed it here. She lied down, closed her eyes, and her fur began to ripple.

Weiss had never actually seen Ruby transform. The first night, she’d done it in the bathroom, even though she hadn’t changed on purpose. Last night, they’d done the same thing again, so Weiss could give Ruby her privacy while she got… well, naked, and everything. When it was time for bed, Ruby had just walked back in there, walked out in her pajamas, and promptly flopped into bed.

The change seemed to start with her fur, as it rippled like the surface of a pond before starting to recede. Ruby’s body elongated somewhat, though her wolf form was still the approximate size of her human one. Her ears spread a bit farther apart as her snout faded into a nose, and her tail stretched itself out before once again flattening against the grass. Ruby’s paws broke out into hands, her hind legs thickening and her torso becoming a bit shorter. In just a few seconds, Ruby Rose was on her hands and knees before Weiss, ears and tail out, naked but for the collar, which was now just slightly loose around her neck.

“Ah,” Ruby said, once more capable of speech. She sat back into a slightly more comfortable position, meeting Weiss’ eyes. “First things first,” she said. “Are you okay?”

Weiss paused - she’d seen Ruby naked a surprising number of times already, but after watching her fascinating transformation, which somehow was not at all grotesque, her brain was having a bit of trouble getting in gear.

“Yes,” she said finally, trying to look into Ruby’s  _ eyes, _ and not any further down. “At least, I  _ think _ so. I just really wanna go home.” Ruby gently took both of Weiss’ hands in her own.

“I know, and we’ll be there soon, I promise. I, uh - I’ve got a bit to explain when we get there, but - “

“How  _ did _ you get here so quickly?” Weiss asked. “And… why like  _ this?” _

Ruby gave Weiss a sheepish grin. “Isn’t it obvious? I... I sorta ran here.”

“By yourself???” Weiss asked, utterly shocked. “Nobody… nobody saw you, thought you were a lost dog?”

“Nope!” Ruby said. “I was quick, I tried to stay hidden in the trees and stuff, and it’s dark, so…” Weiss simply blinked away her astonishment. Ruby rubbed her arms. “Jeez, it’s  _ freezing _ out here without all my fur.” Weiss chose to ignore that - she didn’t need any  _ more _ evidence of Ruby’s nudity.

“Okay, but - how’re we gonna get  _ out _ of here without looking suspicious?” Weiss asked. “You didn’t bring any clothes, did you?”

“I couldn’t, this bag is too small,” Ruby said, sliding it along the ground to sit between them. “Besides, it can be kinda tricky to carry it on my back in my wolf, so I didn’t wanna overpack.” She quietly opened the zipper, and Weiss looked in to see her scroll, her ID card that let her into their building, and…

“A leash?” Weiss asked.

“So, here was the rest of my idea,” Ruby said, a bit embarrassed. “Once we’re ready to head home, I’ll change back, you can carry this bag, and… and you’ll just walk me back to our building, like any normal dog owner in a city.”

“And… my father?” Weiss asked.

“I actually thought about that part!” Ruby said triumphantly, though Weiss quickly shushed her. More quietly, she said, “Sorry. I… look, it’s a lot to explain, but… now that I’ve met him, I’ll be able to smell your dad - or even one of his goons, if I’m right - from a few hundred feet off. If I start to take you down another route, then that’ll be why, so follow my lead?”  
“O-okay,” Weiss said nervously. “What if he gets to us, though?” Wait, why had Ruby said that her father had ‘goons?’

“If  _ anybody _ starts coming up and giving us trouble, I can just start barking my head off,” Ruby said, with a smug grin on her face. “And then you can be all ‘oh, sorry, she’s just not good with people,’ and drag me along!” 

Weiss just shook her head in disbelief. They were  _ actually _ going to do this, weren’t they?

“Ruby Rose,” Weiss finally said, “You are absolutely insane.”

“Do you have any  _ better _ ideas?” Ruby asked, exasperated. “I could run back home on my own, but I  _ really think _ I should be there with you, because -”

“No, I know,” Weiss said. “I know. I want you to stay close, too.” At this, Ruby’s cheeks flushed, almost matching her hair  _ and _ the red leather of what was currently her only article of clothing. Weiss sighed, and pulled the leash out of the bag. It was one of those fancy retractable ones, which Weiss imagined would be less cumbersome when attached to Ruby’s wolf.

“I was just saying that this plan is insane, and so, apparently, am I, because I’m about to go along with it.”

Ruby’s eyes widened, as if she wasn’t sure that Weiss would  _ actually _ go along with her crazy scheme. Weiss closed up the bag, and threw it over her shoulders.

“Okay,” Ruby said, returning to the no-nonsense tone that she’d had during their phone call. “I stashed some clothes behind a tree near our building. I’m prepared to lose them, so just in case I laid out another set on my bed. If the ones I hid are gone, I’ll wait behind that tree while you head upstairs, grab the others, and bring them back down. Make sense?”

“Yes,” Weiss said. “And, um, one last thing - what did you say about my father having ‘goons?’”

“O-oh. Uhm, well, look - there’s actually a fair bit to explain and I’d rather wait until we’re safe, but Blake looked him up, and… he seems to be the type who might hire a few guys just to be big and scary.”

Weiss had never imagined that her father would send hired men out to find her, but knowing him for as long as she had, she couldn’t  _ really _ discredit the possibility. She slowly began to realize that, depending on how angry he actually was, there was a good to fair chance that he  _ might _ stop supporting her financially. She wasn’t too concerned about the money, but the choices that he’d potentially make  _ after _ cutting her off - especially if she spoke out against him - troubled her a great deal. 

Ruby seemed to pick up on this worry, placing a hand on Weiss’ shoulder. “Hey,” she said. “This is gonna work, trust me. I’ll be there for you, okay? I promise.”

The certainty in Ruby’s smile was reassuring, but the sheer  _ tenderness _ in her eyes nearly took Weiss’ breath away. Weiss had never once doubted that Ruby Rose deeply cared for other people, but now, she was absolutely certain of it.

“Okay.” Weiss finally said, giving a determined nod. “Ready?” Ruby nodded.

“Ready.”

* * *

They left the dog park just before ten-thirty, with Weiss trying to act the part of just a regular, everyday “dog” owner. Some of the others gave her a friendly wave as she and Ruby left, but mercifully, none of the other dogs went to greet Ruby or anything, which Weiss imagined would be quite embarrassing for her.

The night air was still cold, but at least she was moving again. Ruby took her down the sidewalk at a brusque pace, which Weiss might have found tiring if she wasn’t so concerned. Ruby wasn’t even using half of the room that the long leash provided, sticking closely in front of Weiss as they headed back to their building. Because it was so late at night, there weren’t many passers-by, and all of them left the pair alone. So far, anyways.

About twenty minutes into their walk, though, Weiss and Ruby had to take a narrow pedestrian bridge above a highway, and before they were halfway across, Ruby’s tail stuck up in the air, her pace slowing.

“What is it, Ruby?” She asked. At this point, she was basically over the relative strangeness of talking to a large wolf and  _ actually _ expecting an intelligent response. Ruby just stared straight ahead, and in the low light, Weiss was able to just make out a figure in the distance. A low, threatening growl escaped Ruby’s throat. Weiss figured that this was the point where a normal “dog” owner would try to calm things down and assure their “dog” that the approaching figure meant them no harm, but… she didn’t know that for certain.

Still, they kept walking, and Ruby did eventually stop growling, but her tail still stuck up in the air, on high alert. As they got closer, Weiss could make the figure out a bit better - the man was tall, burly, and pale, wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans. He acknowledged Weiss as she approached, something that she reluctantly reciprocated.

“What a cute puppy!” The man said, reaching down to pet Ruby’s head once he was close enough. Immediately, Ruby growled, and let out one threatening bark. The man stepped back a little bit, on instinct, and Weiss got closer to her - for her  _ own _ safety more than that of the man.

“I’m sorry,” Weiss said.

“No, it’s okay,” the man said. Weiss couldn’t help but notice that he had stopped, essentially forcing them to do the same, because he hadn’t made space for them on the narrow bridge. “He doesn’t like people, huh?”

“No, she doesn’t,” Weiss said, correcting him. “Come on, Ruby,” she said, hoping her acting skills were up to par as she patted her flank. “Let’s let the nice man pass, okay?”

At this, Ruby played her part by going silent, but she still gave the man a threatening glare, lowering herself into a defensive position.

“Actually, ma’am,” the man said, making Weiss’ stomach drop like a rock, “I was hoping to talk to you for a minute.” Ruby’s growl immediately resumed.

_ Oh my god, _ Weiss thought.  _ My father hired a man to try and find me. _

“Sorry!” Weiss said, pushing past him, making sure that Ruby was between them the entire time. “I really need to get home.” 

“No, please -” the man began, reaching for her. 

Like a flash of lighting, Ruby leapt up at the man, her jaws locking down on the outstretched hand. He yelped and tried to pull it away, but Ruby stayed firm, her teeth digging into his hand until she drew blood. The man swung his other arm down, actually trying to  _ punch _ her, but Ruby immediately let go and leaped out of the way, standing protectively in front of Weiss. She let out several low, threatening barks as the man stood there, clutching his bleeding hand. The message was abundantly clear - “back off,  _ now.” _

“What the fuck?!?” The man asked. “Stupid mutt!”

“Leave us alone!” Weiss said.

“No way, bitch! That crazy dog fucking bit me! I could sue!”

Weiss rolled her eyes. He didn’t know who he was dealing with.

“No, you couldn’t. She bit your hand because you  _ reached _ for me. She’s perfectly docile around most people, but she moved to  _ protect _ me - what’re you gonna tell the judge? ‘I was just minding my own business as this young, innocent girl and her dog suddenly attacked me in the middle of the night?’”

The man scowled at this - frustrated, apparently, because Weiss was right. He stood up straight, taking another step back. Ruby didn’t relax, though - she still watched him intently.

“You really should go home to daddy, little girl. He knows what’s best for you.”

Weiss fumed at this - she  _ knew _ it. When she’d left, her father hadn’t yelled, he hadn’t gotten angry, he hadn’t even followed her or reached out to her. 

He had just told someone else to go “collect” her, like she wasn’t even worth his time to contact personally. He would rather pay someone else to tell his  _ own daughter _ to come and see him after an argument.

“You can tell my father to go  _ fuck himself!” _ Weiss screamed. “Leave me  _ alone!” _ The man just raised up his hands, took a few steps backwards, and turned away. Weiss watched until he faded away into the night, and then immediately fell to her knees in defeat and began to sob.

“He doesn’t care,” she said, finally admitting it to herself. “He doesn’t - he  _ never _ cared. I’m just  _ nothing _ to him, am I? I’m just - I’m just…” she stopped, breaking down into tears. Soon, though, a big mass of fur pushed itself underneath her. It was Ruby, letting Weiss lean on her back for support. She looked back up at Weiss over her shoulder, with the handle of her leash in her mouth - Weiss didn’t even remember dropping it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eye with the back of her hand. “I know, we should be getting back, but…” Ruby just stayed there, patiently letting Weiss lean on her. After a moment, Ruby dropped the leash, and gave Weiss a tentative little lick.

“Thanks,” she laughed. “I’m sorry, I… I’m breaking down crying in the middle of the night on a concrete bridge above a highway…” The absurdity of it all began to really take hold, making her laugh once more. Eventually, she stood up, wincing as she felt the rough surface of the bridge leave an impression on her knees.

Ruby leaned down to pick her leash up again, sitting down to face Weiss. “Thank you,” she said, gently taking the plastic leash from Ruby’s mouth. It was somewhat coated in saliva, so Weiss wiped it off on her dress, which was already  _ very _ dirty from everything that day. She gave the wolf a smile, affectionately scratching behind her ear. Ruby let out a low, pleased sound, leaning into the contact.

“Thank you so much,” Weiss said, trying to hold back her tears again. “Thank you for being here, I… I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Ruby exhaled, giving her a tiny lick on the cheek, and standing up and preparing to lead the way. She looked over her shoulder expectantly, her tail wagging.

“Yeah,” Weiss said. “I’m coming. Let’s go.”

* * *

The walk back to their building was relatively uneventful. They found Ruby’s clothes behind the tree, and Weiss kept watch as she quickly changed - first from wolf to human, then from naked to clothed. After just a minute or so, Ruby stepped out next to Weiss, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You okay?” She said. In response, Weiss immediately hugged her. Ruby was surprised for a moment, but she smiled, hugging back. “Hey,” she finally said, pulling away slightly. Weiss loosened, but didn’t seem ready to let go, which didn’t bother Ruby in the slightest.

Ruby got a good look at Weiss - her ponytail was barely hanging on, her makeup was smudged beyond recognition, her eyes were red and a bit puffy. Her dress had a few grass stains, and her knees were red from kneeling on a rough surface. In a word, Weiss was  _ exhausted. _

In another, though… Weiss Schnee was  _ strong.  _ She had stood up for herself against her own father, and then  _ again _ to that man they’d met on the bridge. And, based on what Ruby knew about both of those men that Weiss still did not, those feats were far more impressive than she realized. 

“Ready to go home?” Ruby asked. Weiss nodded, finally letting go of Ruby.

“Yes,” Weiss said. She let out a tiny little laugh. “I cannot  _ wait _ to wash my face.”

Ruby nodded, laughing as well. Despite it all, it was still Weiss. 

“Okay,” Ruby said. “After that… well… I’ll talk to you about it when we get up there.” Weiss briefly raised an eyebrow at that, but appeared to be too exhausted to fully care about that moment until it arrived. They stood there for a beat, and Ruby decided to take a tiny risk. After all, they’d been  _ so _ close to one another the whole night…

“Come on,” Ruby said, gently taking Weiss’ hand. “Let’s go home.”

Weiss stepped out of the bathroom, sighing with bliss at a clean face. She’d considered taking a quick shower without washing her hair, but she’d instead settled for just a quick sink bath and a change of clothes.

Ruby was sitting on her bed, having also changed clothes - the ones that she’d put on to walk into the building had been stashed behind a  _ tree, _ after all. She was now ready for bed with a soft tank top and a pair of booty shorts, tail sticking out over the waistband. Her ears perked up when she noticed Weiss.

“Better?” She asked.

“Much,” Weiss said. “So… what did you want to talk to me about?”

Ruby scooted up onto her bed a little, sitting cross-legged near her pillow. She patted the space in front of her, indicating that Weiss sit, which she did.

“It’s, um… it’s about your dad,” Ruby began, hesitantly. “We weren’t sure if we should tell you, but, given the circumstances…”

“... ‘We?’” Weiss asked. Ruby just exhaled, preparing herself. 

“There’s, um, no easy way to say this,” she began. “But as soon as we all met him, well… we knew what he was, and  _ that’s _ why we were so worried about you.” Weiss just cocked her head slightly, and Ruby sighed again, apparently resolving to just say it.

“Weiss… your dad is a vampire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are. Thank you so much for reading - a few of you were probably expecting this from Jacques, but I hope that the overall reveal and his behavior leading up to it were still satisfying. I honestly debated splitting this up into two chapters and posting them simultaneously, or at least back-to-back, but I figured it'd be fun to just have a big super-chapter, and I wanted to bring Weiss back to safety before concluding this segment of their journey. I truly hope that you enjoyed, and please please tell me what you think down below! All of the amazing feedback on this fic has been remarkably motivating for me, and I'm really looking forward to hearing from all of you!   
> Regardless, until next time! Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Red


	7. Rest and Relaxation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I told you all that the previous chapter was double-length, and that that was sort of a special thing that you shouldn't expect later on?  
> Well apparently I'm a big fat liar because this chapter is just over five thousand words. I feel like I'm really hitting my stride with this fic, so I hope you all enjoy!  
> Also, as recommended by a few readers, I'm going to be adding some tags to this fic and adjusting its rating immediately after this chapter is published, and I appreciate everybody's patience in that regard.   
> Please enjoy!
> 
> -Red

“Um… Weiss?”

“Sorry?”

“Did you hear what I said?”

Weiss sighed.

“I did.”

“Do you… I mean…” Ruby stopped. “I figured that that would get a bigger reaction.”

“On another day, yes,” Weiss replied. “But… honestly? After everything tonight…” She made an empty gesture at the air in front of her. “I’ve got nothing.”

“O-okay…” Ruby said. The concern in her voice was evident. “Do you wanna talk about it, or…” Weiss thought for a moment. She nodded. “I figure I won’t get to sleep remarkably soon.” She then pointed to Ruby’s large back rest pillow. “Can I sit on that end?”

“Oh, sure!” Ruby haphazardly scooted to the side, giving Weiss the room to crawl past “Sorry,” Ruby laughed, as the awkwardness of their little dance became a little too evident for them to leave it unacknowledged. Ruby sat cross-legged near the foot of the bed.

“It’s okay,” Weiss said. She slowly, delicately leaned back into the pillow. She let out a sigh of relief that Ruby’s extra pair of ears could just barely detect when she finally reached the level of comfort that she’d been seeking for hours. She took a breath. “Okay. Tell me what I need to know about vampires.”

Ruby’s ears perked up at this. “Are you… sure? You seem exhausted.”

“I am,” Weiss said. “But I’m around 50% sure that if I got into bed right now, I’d spend a few hours just staring at the ceiling, thinking about everything that’s happened today, and…” She met Ruby’s silver eyes, which were filled with worry.

“Apologies, I… I may have overshared.”

Ruby watched that sentence fill Weiss’ body language, as if she were a doll that had been adjusted in order to sit properly. Her posture straightened, her legs delicately crossed, her hands folded in her lap, and she looked away from Ruby. Her long cascade of hair blocked her eyes entirely. It was almost like Weiss had been possessed by some kind of ghost of cold deference, and the soft, kind, warm Weiss that Ruby had slowly been getting to know seemed to vanish.

“Hey,” Ruby said carefully. Taking a risk, she reached out to put a hand on Weiss’ knee. “You’re not oversharing, I promise. I want to hear about it!” She gave Weiss the best grin that she could muster.

Ruby’s heart swelled as Weiss’ hair shifted enough for Ruby to see her face. She was timid. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Ruby said immediately. She laughed. “I mean, you’ve seen me naked, like… three times now. I think we’re kind of past the phase where ‘oversharing’ is really possible.”

Confusingly, this seemed to draw Weiss further into her shell - was it because she had trivialized things?

“Seriously, though,” Ruby said, returning to a softer, comforting tone. “I care about you. If you feel comfortable talking to me about that kind of thing, I’ll be happy to listen.”

Weiss was quiet for awhile. She seemed to be considering that. The silence was  _ deafening _ to Ruby - she didn’t know what to do, or how to help. All she knew was that if she could help Weiss, she would.

“Can… can I snuggle with your wolf form?” Weiss finally asked. Ruby blinked for a moment, more surprised than anything else. Weiss looked away again, saying, “Sorry, I… I shouldn’t just use you for when I wish I was petting a dog.”

Ruby recovered for a moment - she rarely got so much candor from Weiss, and she didn’t want to discourage it.

“No, it’s an okay thing to ask,” Ruby said. “After all, I offered it last night, remember?”

Weiss looked sheepish. 

“I… I thought that was a one-time thing,” she admitted.

“It wasn’t. If I’m honest, being petted is really nice, which is, weird, I guess, but…”

Weiss giggled. 

“So is  _ apparently _ having a vampire for a dad.”

“Yeah.” Ruby smiled. “But, to answer your question… sorry, I’m absolutely beat.” Weiss looked confused at this. “Oh, well… I’ve already shifted a few times today. First there was going out to find you in my wolf, then going back to human form to talk to you behind those bushes, then  _ back _ to my wolf… and now I’m here, in human form again.”

“Does using your wolf too much tire you out?” Weiss asked.

“Kind of, but what’s most exhausting is swapping between forms. That, and entering my were without the full moon is  _ really _ hard, but… I could do it if I really needed to.”

“Oh, okay…” Weiss said. She seemed the tiniest bit disappointed, but was mostly understanding.

“But…” Ruby began, very timidly. “My… my wolf is still  _ me, _ and… I’m still here.” She stopped, the actual request she was leading to catching in her throat. “So…” she stopped. “Never mind. Anyways…”

“No, it’s all right,” Weiss said, quietly. Ruby shrugged, trying to downplay the idea as much as she could. 

“I… it’s stupid, but… I was gonna say…” Ruby clenched her fists, forcing herself to just say it. “You could just snuggle with… with  _ me, _ if you wanted.” Weiss was blank for a moment. Ruby had definitely messed up. “I know, I’m… sorry. Let’s just… forget that part, and…”

Wordlessly, Weiss scooted over.

Ruby paused. She couldn’t possibly be doing this, right? Weiss was just in a vulnerable place right now, and it would be wrong for Ruby to take advantage of her during that. She was always so careful to be sure that she wasn’t hurting people - Ruby knew how easy it was for her to do it by accident. 

But then, she remembered what Weiss had told her on the very second day that they had lived together. She had just so casually accepted Ruby for what she was, and… she wasn’t afraid. Weiss was, Ruby realized, perhaps the very first person in Ruby’s life who had legitimate reason to fear her, but didn’t.

At a snail’s pace, Ruby scooted up, gently placing herself next to Weiss. She shifted her tail so that she wasn’t sitting on it, which accidentally laid it across Weiss’ lap. However, rather than pushing it away or complaining, Weiss just gently began to stroke her fingers through the fur. Ruby heavily blushed at the sensation, but tried to keep her cool. 

While idly doing that, Weiss delicately slid into Ruby, leaning against her arm. Ruby swallowed her fears and tenderly wrapped that arm around Weiss’ shoulders. At this, she let out a happy little sound, and nestled her head just under Ruby’s chin. The pair just sat there for a while, in a comfortable silence. Finally, though, Weiss asked a question.

“Am I gonna be a vampire too?” Ruby sighed.

“I… don’t know. It depends on whether your dad became one before or after he had you. I think - I don’t really know any vampires that well.”

Weiss just made a low, worried hum at that. Wordlessly, Ruby held her a bit tighter.

“Are there any ways that I could tell?”

Ruby nearly slapped her forehead. Of course there were, how could she have forgotten?

“Ever seen your dad in direct sunlight, not burning to death?” Weiss snorted.

“Yes. We went on a beach vacation two years ago.” She sighed. “He was on the phone the whole time.” Ruby didn’t know what to say to the second half, but she could address the first.

“Well, if that’s the case… it’s probably a more recent thing,” She said. “And I figure you’d probably be showing signs by now, but… you smell human to me.” With her free arm, she scratched behind her head. “Not that vampirism is inherently  _ wrong _ or anything, but…”

“No, I get it,” Weiss said. She laughed. “I like having the ability to stay in direct sunlight sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Ruby replied. “I mean, sometimes full moons happen at inconvenient times, but… I don’t envy vampires.” Weiss just made a little sound of agreement. Tentatively, Ruby started running her fingers through Weiss’ hair, earning a sleepy, happy murmur from her.

“Why do you think he did it, then?” She asked. “I mean… if he wasn’t born one, which it sounds like he probably wasn’t…”

“Well…” Ruby shrugged a little, shifting Weiss ever so slightly. “I don’t know a polite way to say this…”

“If it’s about my father, please, be impolite,” Weiss said. Ruby chuckled.

“Okay, okay. So, your dad’s  _ loaded, _ right?” Weiss gave a sigh.

“Very.”

“If that’s the case… it could be he paid someone to do it so he could live forever,” she said. “I uh… I hear that’s a thing that vamps get offered a lot.”

Weiss was surprised.

“Do they  _ actually _ live forever?” She asked.

“Well, the way my dad put it was, ‘in theory, but forever hasn’t happened yet,’” Ruby replied. “They certainly don’t die from getting old.”

“Wow…” Weiss replied. “I… I wonder how they’ve stayed secret, then.” She looked up at Ruby. “I mean… doesn’t  _ everybody _ want to live forever?”

“I dunno,” Ruby said. “But vampires generally seem to keep things under wraps, just like us wolves do.” Weiss simply hummed, apparently not sure of what to say.

“Anything else I should know?” Weiss asked. “Can he, like… turn into a bat, and stuff?”

“I wish I could tell you,” Ruby said. She laughed. “We could always ask him.”

“Yes, right,” she said. “I’m sure  _ that _ would go over well.”

“Sorry, I don’t know that much about it,” Ruby said. “But… no matter  _ what _ happens with him… I’ll be here, when you need me.” She gave Weiss a smile. “If any more vampires come by trying to take you to your dad, I’ll happily try to bite  _ their _ hands off, too.”

“That guy on the bridge was also a vampire?” Weiss asked. She barely sounded surprised.

“Oh, yeah…” Ruby said. “He was the only one I noticed on the way home, though.”

Weiss just nodded into Ruby’s shoulder, yawning. 

“What time is it?” She asked.

Ruby was barely able to reach her scroll, but she managed to do it without having to move Weiss. When she checked the screen, she froze.

“That bad, huh?” Weiss asked, able to feel Ruby’s reaction.

“It’s already almost two,” she said.

“How?” Weiss asked. “We got back just before midnight, didn’t we?”

“I don’t remember,” Ruby said. “Either way…” She stopped for a moment. She didn’t want to let go of Weiss, and immediately scolded herself for her greed. She didn’t want this feeling to end, but she refused to even slightly stretch Weiss’ consent with their current situation. “Do you want to head to bed?”

“We probably should,” Weiss said, though she didn’t make any effort to move. Ruby nodded, and started to get up anyways. “Ruby,” Weiss laughed, “this is  _ your _ bed.”

“I… yeah,” Ruby admitted sheepishly. Weiss curled up into herself a little bit at the absence of a body to lean against. Ruby smiled, offering Weiss a hand up. “Ready?” she asked.

Weiss was motionless for a minute. She just stared at Ruby’s hand for a little bit, as if it presented her with a deep, philosophical quandary. Ruby cocked her head slightly, confused.

“Can… can I stay?” Weiss asked. “I’m sorry, that’s… really forward, but…” she hugged herself a little tighter, then shook her head. “Sorry, I’ll go,” she said, starting to stand.

“No!” Ruby said, too loudly. “It’s… um… it’s fine.” She cursed herself for that phrasing - she was actually  _ really excited _ that she’d gotten the chance to snuggle with Weiss like this already, but she was so nervous that she couldn’t express it the way she wanted to.

“No, no, this is  _ your _ bed, and mine is right over there,” Weiss replied, now with both of her feet on the floor. “It was rude of me to ask. I’m sorry.” She quickly walked across the floor, already pulling her own covers back. 

“W-Weiss?” Ruby stuttered. Her roommate turned, catching Ruby’s eyes over her shoulder. “Tonight was… nice.” She coughed, her cheeks burning. “I mean, I know that a bunch of awful things happened to you and I’m so sorry but I really liked having you there for dinner tonight and my dad liked you too and I’m really glad that I could be there for you with all this stuff you’re going through with your dad and I promise that I’ll be there to help whenever you need me and…” Ruby  _ finally _ paused to take a breath, but stopped when she noticed Weiss was giving her a polite, indulgent giggle. “Sorry,” she admitted sheepishly. “My brain isn’t very organized right now.”

“Goodnight, Ruby,” Weiss said, climbing into bed.

“W-wait!” Ruby said, probably louder than intended. Weiss stopped and just raised her eyebrow. Ruby nervously held her elbow in her other hand, trying to make herself as small as possible. “I… um… this is probably too late, but…” she made a tiny gesture to her own bed. “If you want to, you can…”

“I mostly asked because I didn’t want to get up,” Weiss explained, and Ruby’s heart fell.

“O-oh,” Ruby said. “Sorry, I’ll…” She turned, and pulled back the covers of her own bed.

“But…” Weiss began nervously, “if it’s all right…” she began to stand. 

Ruby’s heart rate doubled. Quickly, she threw the covers back, jumping into her bed and making as much space as she could for Weiss once underneath them. Weiss let out a polite giggle at this, but it was clear that she found Ruby endearing more than anything else. Delicately, she laid herself down under the covers, and Ruby carefully wrapped an arm around her waist. Weiss unsubtly scooted into it, pressing her back into Ruby’s chest.

“Can you reach the lamp on my desk?” Ruby asked.

“I can try,” Weiss laughed. It took her a moment of adorable stretching, but she finally managed to flick the light off, and the pair were cloaked in darkness.

“Ruby?” Weiss asked, out into the gloom.

“Mm?”

“... Thank you. For today. I know I already said it, but… I don’t know where I’d be if you hadn’t been there.”

“Of course,” Ruby murmured into Weiss’ hair.

Weiss, unsure of what to say, just smiled, and nuzzled herself a little bit closer.

Whatever tomorrow was going to bring… Ruby was going to make sure that Weiss didn’t have to face it alone. 

* * *

Ruby gently got up, careful not to disturb her bedmate. Weiss made some downright adorable sleepy murmurs as Ruby pulled the covers back over her.

For a moment, Ruby just looked at her roommate, peacefully asleep. Her chest gently rose and fell with her breath, each of her exhales making the tiniest little sounds. Her lips were ever so slightly parted, her face turned towards the impression that Ruby had left in the mattress. Now that she wasn’t wrapped around another body, Weiss had curled into herself a little, though not quite in the fetal position. The faded scar leading from her eyebrow to her cheek was slightly more visible now, though that’s probably just because her eyes were closed. A bit of her hair had fallen in front of her face, and Ruby very carefully tucked it behind her ear. In a way, she looked delicate, but Ruby had just witnessed firsthand how much strength and resilience laid underneath that exterior. 

The amount of  _ trust _ that it had taken for Weiss to fall asleep in Ruby’s arms… it was indescribable. Ruby had always been ready and willing to help other people, and Weiss was no exception - though, in a way, she almost was. Normally, when Ruby told people that she’d be there for them, they would laugh and ask Ruby if she could help them move. She was happy to do things like that, of course (her strong arms were certainly quite an asset for that activity), but only Weiss had so far seemed to understand what she  _ meant  _ when she said it.

She wanted to help other people no matter what, and Weiss - calm, collected, dignified, defiant, proud,  _ gorgeous _ Weiss - had let her make good on that promise. Ruby wasn’t quite sure whether that was because Weiss was more of an open, trusting person than Ruby had expected, or if it was because she simply needed much more help right now, but for the moment Ruby didn’t much care. She  _ loved _ Weiss and would gladly help her with anything, from carrying a box to confronting her vampiric father.

Ruby loved Weiss.

Oh, no.

Ruby was in love with Weiss.

Trying to push that thought out of her mind as she changed clothes, Ruby picked up her scroll and walked into the kitchen. She idly checked it while turning on the stove, and she had a text message from last night, which she checked while making the batter for pancakes.

  
  


Yang:  _ Hey, did Weiss get back yet? _

11:30 AM

_ Yeah, she came back last night. _

_ She and her dad had a fight… it was a whole thing. _

_ Like… a lot, actually. But we’re here now, and we’re safe. _

_ Hey, it’s Blake, Yang’s still asleep. _

_ Is she okay? _

Ruby raised an eyebrow at this.

_ Yeah, she’s okay. Why are you using Yang’s scroll? You have my number now, right? _

_   
_ _ Hers was closer _

_ I did some more research on Weiss’ dad before bed last night - it’s bad, Ruby _

_ How bad? _

_ He’s been involved in more lawsuits than any other private mining company, ever. The guy’s probably the biggest reason for anti-SLAPP legislation in the country. _

_? _

_ SLAPP suits are basically BS lawsuits that big companies use to threaten members of the press and drown them in legal fees. It’s more meant to keep people from speaking out than it is to actually win in court. _

_ Ugh. _

_ Any guesses on why he went vamp? _

_ I figured it was the living forever thing… _

_ I can’t say for certain _

_ What’s she gonna do now that she knows? _

_ We… uh… didn’t really get there last night  _

_ I can tell you guys the story later, I’m making pancakes _

_ Cool! Hang on, Yang’s up _

Ruby just shook her head as she put her scroll down to crack an egg. Yang was normally pretty protective with her stuff, so letting Blake unlock her phone was probably a big step for the both of them. Ruby got around halfway through getting all the ingredients ready before her scroll buzzed again - she winced as it made a loud noise on the countertop. Weiss hadn’t appeared to wake, though, so Ruby checked it.

_ What’s this I hear about pancakes _

_ Good morning, Yang _

_ Are you making Dad’s recipe? _

_ Of course, who do you think I am?  _

_ Some kind of heathen who would use store-bought pancake mix? _

_ We’re coming over _

_ Be there in 15 _

_ Yang, Weiss is still asleep _

_ My plan was to do something nice for her _

_ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine _

_ At least ask her if we can come when she’s awake? _

_ We should *probably* work on the writing project today too _

_ Yeah, like that’s your only reason _

_ Pancakes help me focus! _

Ruby was around halfway through writing a snide reply when she heard Weiss begin to stir. She wasn’t much of a morning person, so Ruby was fully prepared to pretend that Weiss didn’t exist until she’d gotten some coffee in her system. To her surprise, though, Weiss did actually speak to her right away.

“Ruby?” She asked, her voice thickly coated in sleep.

“Morning!” Ruby said, then awkwardly cleared her throat because hers was similarly raspy. “How’d you sleep?”

“Surprisingly well,” Weiss replied. “How is your mattress pad so soft?”

“My dad slept at Beacon’s dorms during the weekend of Yang’s orientation,” Ruby said. “The bed they gave him had no mattress pad, and he complained about his back for a week. When it was time for me to buy dorm supplies, he insisted I get the biggest, softest one.”

Weiss giggled at that. “Your father seems very kind.”

“Yeah…” Ruby said. She then remembered what she was doing. “Oh! Speaking of, I’m making pancakes with his recipe for breakfast! Want some?”

“That sounds lovely,” Weiss said. “Mind if I get dressed while you bake?”

“Go for it!” Ruby said, noticeably turning her back to give Weiss her privacy. Her scroll buzzed again. “Oh,” She called over her shoulder, “Would it be cool if Yang and Blake come over to have some?”

“I suppose,” Weiss said, pretending to be annoyed by the idea. “Think we should have a project meeting after?”

“Yang said the same thing,” Ruby replied. “Though I think it’s just because she wanted an excuse to have pancakes.” Weiss laughed at that.

“From what little I know of Yang, that seems accurate,” she said. “Want some music?”

“Take your pick!”

She heard Weiss open up the little plastic set of drawers where she kept her cassettes, eventually settling on one. As soon as she heard the opening notes of the Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky,” she grinned, because Weiss had picked one of the custom mixes that Ruby had made herself. 

It was amazing how…  _ normal _ everything felt. A lot of things were still up in the air right now with Weiss’ dad, but it seemed like she didn’t want to dwell on it right now. If that were indeed the case, Ruby was all too happy to provide her with every possible distraction.

Ruby remembered that her scroll had buzzed, and she leaned down from her mixing bowl to check it. 

Blake:  _ I confess, I also wouldn’t mind trying your famous pancakes… _

* * *

Weiss stood in the lobby of her dorm building, waiting to sign Yang and Blake in while Ruby cooked. She was a little nervous seeing them without Ruby around, but it theoretically wouldn’t be long. She’d sent them each messages so that they had her number, and only Blake had replied, saying they were on their way. 

The doors opened and the pair walked in, and it was  _ rather _ obvious that they’d woken up recently. Yang’s hair was still a bit frizzy, and Blake was only wearing mascara, a contrast to her usual winged eyeliner look. They both waved as Weiss pulled out her card.

After doing the sign-in dance, the trio quickly found an elevator and began to ride up to Weiss and Ruby’s fourth-floor room.

“How, uh…” Yang began. Weiss looked at her, and Yang gave a sheepish grin. “How’re you doing, after last night? We’re glad to hear that you got back and everything.”

“Honestly,” Weiss said, somehow already past the point of hiding her feelings from either of them, “It hasn’t really hit me yet. How much did Ruby tell you?”

“Not much,” Blake said. “All we heard was that it was… a lot.”

“That’s certainly an accurate way of putting it,” Weiss laughed. “We can tell you the full story once we’re there.”

“Hey!” Ruby said, once Weiss opened the door. “Pancakes are almost ready!”

“Fantastic,” Yang said, letting her ears and tail out as soon as the door was closed. “I haven’t had this recipe since the summer.

“It hasn’t even been a month for you,” Blake teased, letting her own ears and tail out as well. “I, however, can’t wait to try them for the first time.” Weiss stood there for a moment, absorbing the pair’s appearances. 

Yang’s ears were mostly shaped like Ruby’s, triangular and fluffy, though they were a bright yellow to match her hair. The right one also seemed to droop a little, which Weiss found somewhat odd. Her tail was the same color, though far longer than Ruby’s, perhaps because of their relative differences in height. It lazily wagged back and forth as it emerged from the back of her jeans.

Blake, on the other hand, was a bit different than the siblings. While Ruby and Yang’s ears were taller than they were wide, Blake’s were a bit shorter, more closely resembling an equilateral triangle in shape. They also weren’t quite as fluffy on the inside. Her tail was similarly sleek, and jet black. She also appeared to have far more control over it than the wolves did, as it flicked about with purpose to balance out her movements.

The pair turned, and appeared to notice that Weiss was staring. Her cheeks flushed.

“S-sorry,” she said, looking down, “I’d only ever seen Ruby like this…”

“Oh! It’s okay,” Yang replied, and Blake similarly nodded. “We forgot you’re just getting used to all the were… stuff.” Weiss gave a grateful nod.

The telltale hiss of food beginning to cook made Weiss turn, as Ruby had apparently finished making the batter.

“All righty, give that a few minutes,” Ruby said. “Make yourselves at home!”

“Oh my gods, Ruby,” Yang said, the genuine shock in her voice making Weiss jump a little. “You  _ made _ your  _ bed!  _ I can’t believe this, I’m texting Dad -”

“What?” Ruby asked. “I didn’t…” She looked at Weiss, whose cheeks were now on fire. Blake noticed this next, and Yang finally turned to see it, too.

“Um…” Weiss began, very slowly… “That  _ may _ have been me.”

Dead silence followed. Were it not for the sounds of the kitchen, Weiss probably could have literally heard a pin drop.

“Why’re you all staring at me?” She finally asked, trying and failing not to sound exasperated.

“Weiss, you didn’t have to do that,” Ruby finally said. Yang raised an eyebrow, and Blake simply met her eyes with a neutral expression. Weiss crossed her arms, looking away.

“Force of habit,” she finally said, peeking at Blake and Yang’s reaction. The eye contact that they shared  _ immediately _ told Weiss that they were on to her. “Listen, let’s just start breakfast and everything, okay?”

“Oh my gods,” Yang whispered. “They really did _sleep_ _together!”_  
“Yang!” Blake said, covering her mouth to laugh.

“Okay!” Ruby said, likely far louder than she’d intended. “Weiss, first pancake’s yours!”

“Hey!” Yang protested as Ruby handed her a plate and utensils.

“If you punch your own father in the chest and walk out of his hotel room after he explicitly told you to stay, I’m sure  _ you _ can have the first pancake the next morning,” Weiss said. She’d attempted to keep her tone casual, but the fact that she was still a bit shaken clearly shone through.

“... that bad, huh?” Blake asked sympathetically. Weiss just nodded silently.

“Here,” Yang said, gently pulling Blake down to sit on the floor against Weiss’ bed, “How about we all sit for a second, and you can catch us up to speed?” She hesitated. “If… if that’s okay, or if you wanna wait…”

“No,” Weiss said, “It’ll be better to get it over with.” She gestured to the fresh pancake in her hands with a weak grin. “This will probably help.”

“Wait for syrup!” Ruby called, opening the fridge with her foot as she poured another large circle of batter onto the pan. Everybody chuckled at that, and for just a moment, Weiss was pretty sure that everything was going to be all right.

* * *

“So he reached for her, and I just went  _ berserk _ and took a bite out of his hand,” Ruby said.

“Oof, I can’t imagine he tasted good,” Yang sympathized.

“Yeah, he was gross,” she said. “But, anyways, he gets all mad, like ‘I could sue!’ -”

“Which, as I pointed out right then, was preposterous,” Weiss jumped in. “No jury in the world would believe the story that a young girl walking her dog just before midnight had attacked him for no reason.”

“Then,” Ruby continued, “After Weiss totally dunked on him like that, he just backed off and ran, and then we made it back home safely.” Weiss privately smiled, happy that Ruby had generously left out the part where she’d burst into tears.

“That’s… wow,” Blake said, after a moment. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through all that.”

“Thank you,” Weiss replied. “I’m just glad Ruby was there to fight that creep off.”

“Any time,” Ruby said, affectionately rubbing her shoulder for a moment. They shared a smile at that, and Weiss could only hope she was conveying how grateful she  _ really _ was.

“So, Weiss,” Yang asked after a moment, “What do you think your dad is gonna, like… do? Have you fought with him like this before?”

“We’ve fought, but not like this,” she said. “He’s never… grabbed me, not like that. Don’t get me wrong, he’ll raise his voice, occasionally knock things off his desk, but…”

There was an empathy in Blake’s eyes when she said that, and Weiss wondered if she’d ever had similar experiences. Based on what little she’d said of her parents at dinner last night, they didn’t seem to be like Weiss’, but she couldn’t say for certain what was happening there. Still, she appreciated the sentiment, no matter its origin.

“So, I don’t know, exactly.” Weiss said. “Worst case, he might make me drop out, try to take me back to Atlas…” The entire group was concerned at this. Gently, Ruby took her hand. 

“We won’t let that happen,” she said. Blake and Yang both nodded gravely.

“Thank you,” Weiss said, to all three of them. “But, if nothing else, he’s paying for my college education out of pocket, and he definitely still has control over ‘my’ bank account, too. I might have to talk to someone here at school and explain the situation…”

“Talk to Student Financial Services,” Blake said instantly. “Or, I guess… if it comes to that. They’re super nice, their office is next to the library where I did work-study last year. Don’t worry, Beacon won’t just kick you out if your financial situation changes.” Weiss exhaled at that in relief.

“That’s good to hear,” she said. “Maybe I should text Klein and ask him to send me a few silver candlesticks or something before my father makes up his mind.”

“Not a bad idea, honestly,” Yang said. “You might wanna try and get anything you left there, too, like winter clothes.”

“I actually took most of what I really wanted to keep on my first trip out here,” she said. “I didn’t exactly predict this, but… my sister basically took most of her things to Atlas University and hasn’t looked back. We talk sometimes, and she’s never outright stated that she and Father had a falling-out, but they never mention each other.” She gave a very weak smile. “Unfortunately, I knew to be at least a little prepared for something like this to happen, one way or the other.”

Wordlessly, Ruby took her hand. When Weiss looked over to her, she was wearing a smile, though her eyes were still deeply concerned. All Weiss could do was simply return it.

“And hey, we don’t know if it’s gonna be  _ that _ far, yet,” Blake said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he sounds  _ awful, _ but you may not have to totally cut ties right this minute.”

“If and when you do need to, though,” Yang said, making direct eye contact,  _ “All _ of us will be here for you. Okay?” Ruby and Blake also nodded firmly at this.

“O-okay…” Weiss said, not realizing how close she’d come to tears. “I’m sorry, I… this is just so much, so fast, but… thank you all. You barely even know me...”

“That doesn’t matter,” Ruby said gently. “We know you enough to want to help.” Weiss could only smile, and Ruby just quietly laid her arm over Weiss’ shoulders. 

“Here,” Yang said. “We’re gonna start working on the project. You two can take a minute, and let us know when you’re ready to join in. We’ll be in the lounge outside, come grab us.” She took Blake’s hand, and the pair stood up, giving Weiss and Ruby the room to themselves for a little while. Ruby and Yang exchanged a look as the pair left, and for a little while, Weiss could just spend some time quietly being held.

* * *

At around three PM, the four of them had finished most of the first leg of their writing project. All that was left were a few individual touches that they could do on their own time, so Blake and Yang were getting ready to leave.

“All right, gang!” Ruby said, “Great work today!”

“Yeah!” Yang said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Oh, hey - Blake and I were gonna see a movie this Friday night. You two wanna come?”

Ruby simply looked over at Weiss, and from the look alone, Weiss could tell she was interested. “I’d like that!” Weiss said. “Text us the details and everything?”

“I’ve got it,” Blake said, already on her scroll. “Looking forward to it!”

After the group exchanged their goodbyes, Ruby closed the door, with just the slightest smile on her face. 

“What?” Weiss finally asked, immediately making her erupt into giggles.

“I can’t  _ believe _ you made my bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> -Red


	8. Transformation: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hey Red, why is this chapter 'Part 1?'"  
> So! This chapter of The Werewolf of Beacon gets... violent. If you've read some of my other works, this chapter arguably gets significantly more violent than Samus' rematch with Ridley in the later chapters of Birds of a Feather. As a result, I am splitting this chapter into two parts - Part 1, which contains absolutely zero violence whatsoever, and Part 2, which has all of the violent stuff. This narrative is also conveniently designed in such a way that readers will be able to skip Part 2 *entirely* without missing any plot.  
> How, you ask? Well, the chapter after this two-parter will contain a significantly less intense and graphic summary of the events of Part 2, integrated into the story's narrative. I would normally skip over it as the characters catch each other up on things that the audience already knows, but I'll give it more focus to be sure that readers who wish to skip the violence don't miss anything. The only downside to all of this is that Chapter 9 (which AO3 will treat as Chapter 10) is not quite written yet, so readers who choose to skip Part 2 will unfortunately have to wait a bit. I apologize for this, but I'll work on that chapter as quickly as I can! I appreciate everyone's patience, and I hope that this little system works out best for everyone.  
> Finally, a huge thanks to SeleneLawfulGood for beta reading! She's been doing that for some time now, as well as letting me bounce ideas off of her. Check our some of her stories on here!
> 
> That's enough out of me! Please enjoy Chapter 8: Transformation...
> 
> -Red

“Ruby, are you ready to go?”

Ruby looked over her shoulder, tablet pen in one hand.

“Why are you asking so early? We have, like, half an hour!”

“I’m asking because I know you, and that if I don’t tell you to get ready now you won’t be until we’re already late.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” She laughed. “Here, lemme save this and I’ll get changed.”

Weiss had already changed for their trip to the movies with Blake and Yang. She had also already enhanced her normal, daily makeup for the occasion, but she always had the habit of being ready too early. This, she realized, would probably come in handy now that she had to drag Ruby through the process of getting ready herself.

“Okay,” she said, standing up from her chair. She turned, actually taking in Weiss’ appearance. “Whoa...” Ruby whispered. “You look… really nice!”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, trying to hide her blush. “What’re you gonna wear?”

“Not sure,” Ruby said, opening her drawers. “I’m in the mood to be fancy, so maybe I’ll wear a skirt.” Weiss giggled at that.

“That’d be the day,” she said.

“Yeah,” Ruby laughed. “I used to wear skirts all the time, but I guess college has made me lazier.”

“Mm, I feel that a little bit,” Weiss said. She let out a little laugh. “I brought  _ two _ different eyeshadow palettes, and most days I don’t even wear anything besides mascara and concealer.”

Ruby looked at her. 

“Weiss, you put  _ tons _ of effort into your appearance every day, and it shows. I find it really impressive, so please don’t put yourself down like that.”

“I…” Weiss stopped completely. She hadn’t really realized that that’s what she was doing until Ruby had just… said so, out loud. Her naked honesty was just so  _ refreshing _ when compared to what Weiss was accustomed to. She looked up at Ruby to reply, but she had already returned to her dresser drawers.

“You know what? I’m wearing a flannel,” Ruby declared. She was already wearing a black tank top (Weiss had eventually learned that she had several tank tops, in a few colors), which she’d selected as an inner layer, so she put on a red and black checkered flannel shirt that was hanging on her bedpost. She left it unbuttoned.

Weiss checked her scroll for a moment, after noticing that Ruby was about to start changing her pants. She checked through a few random things, until Ruby’s voice made her look up. “Which do you think looks better?” She asked, holding up a black chiffon skirt with a line of red fabric around its base in one hand, and a simple, red A-line skirt in the other. She’d also changed into a pair of black tights.

“Hmmm…” Weiss said, a thoughtful finger on her chin. “Here, let me offer you a third option.”

She walked over to their shared closet and flicked through her skirt hangers for a moment, retrieving the garment she was looking for: A black skirt that would match Ruby’s tights, but it also had a pair of built-in shorts on the inside for comfort, and most impressively, the outside was embroidered with a subtle but lovely floral pattern.

“Oh, wow!” Ruby said. “That’s gorgeous! Are you sure you want me to try it?”

Weiss simply smiled and handed it over. She and Ruby weren’t  _ quite _ the same size, but they were close enough, and the skirt had a semi-elastic waistband. As she tried it on, Weiss was happy to see that it would fit well. She checked her reflection in Weiss’ full-length mirror, and did an adorable little twirl.

“What do you think?” She asked with a grin.

“You look fantastic!” Weiss said. “Wanna borrow that skirt tonight?”

“Yeah!” Ruby said. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course,” Weiss said. She looked Ruby over for a moment. “Are you a makeup person, or…?” Ruby sighed.

“I… it’s weird. I  _ like _ wearing it, but I never really got good at doing it myself because Yang always wanted to practice on me before she went out, so… yes? But I wasn’t planning on wearing any.”

Weiss’ grin had slowly widened as Ruby explained her unique predicament. Carefully, as if it meant nothing at all, Weiss asked, “Want me to do yours?” And she couldn’t help but crack a grin as Ruby flushed.

“Um… I’d like that!” She said tentatively. Before she was finished speaking, Weiss was already in her chair, opening her makeup drawer. She pulled Ruby’s chair over to hers with terrifying confidence, and, brush in her hand, she gestured to the empty seat.

“Sit.” She commanded, and Ruby’s butt fell down into the chair like a ton of bricks. She made a tiny, slightly scared sound, which made Weiss giggle. “There’s a dog joke to make there, but I think I’ll spare you,” she said, shaking an eyeliner in one hand while opening one of her aforementioned palettes with the other. When she turned back to Ruby, her cheeks were a deep crimson.

“Sorry, too much?” She asked.

“N-no, I just…” she laughed. “Nobody’s ever done this for me besides Yang, and…” Weiss suspected that her blush also had  _ something _ to do with her previous quip, but she made sure to dial herself back a little. 

“Here,” she said. “We don’t have  _ too _ much time as it is, so maybe I’ll save eyeshadow for next time?” Ruby just nodded. “Okay,” Weiss said, clicking her palette closed. “Here, scoot in a bit.” Ruby did so, and Weiss carefully cupped her cheek, leaning in to start using her liquid liner. Ruby’s eyes, though, were wide open, staring into hers. 

“Close your eyes,” Weiss said gently. “Don’t worry, this won’t take long.” Ruby’s eyelids delicately fluttered shut, and Weiss suddenly realized how  _ close _ they were. They had snuggled before, sure, but that was always side by side (or, that one  _ lovely _ evening where Weiss had been lucky enough to sleep in Ruby’s bed with her), and now they were face to face. Carefully, Weiss began to draw a subtle little wing on the outside of Ruby’s left eye. 

“Stop fidgeting,” she muttered.

“Sorry,” Ruby said, which only moved her face around more. Weiss sighed, grabbing Ruby’s chin as she adjusted her angle slightly. Fortunately for Ruby, Weiss’ hands were remarkably steady, so the eyeliner was mostly unaffected.

“Halfway done,” she said. Ruby blinked.

“Already?”

“I told you, I’m quick,” she said. “After this, a bit of mascara, and then we’ll be ready to head out!” Those gorgeous silver eyes blinked a few times, and then met hers. Their faces were  _ so _ close - Weiss could just let her eyes slip closed and press her lips against -

_ No, Weiss. Stop it. _

“Okay, close ‘em,” she said, shaking her eyeliner again. This side was a bit faster, because Weiss was left-handed. She leaned back a bit to make sure that both wings were balanced, and was happy to see that they were. 

“Done,” she said, capping her eyeliner. She turned her desk mirror towards Ruby. “Take a look!”

“... wow,” Ruby whispered, almost to herself. “You did  _ this _ in, like… five minutes?”

“I can do it in three on myself,” she said, pulling out her mascara. “Last little step.”

Ruby nodded, leaning in and keeping her eyes open. “I remember what to do here!” She said with a grin. 

Weiss gently held the wand against Ruby’s lashes, extending them as she slowly blinked. Soon, they were just about done, and ready to leave with a few minutes to spare.

“Okay!” Ruby said, jumping out of her chair with enthusiasm. “How do I look?”

“You look  _ fantastic,” _ Weiss said, with complete honesty behind the statement. “Ready to go?”

“Almost, I need shoes.” Her eyes widened for a moment as she realized something. “Hey, I can wear my lesbian boots!”

“Aren’t  _ all _ boots lesbian boots, when on you?” Weiss asked with a grin. Ruby laughed.

“Maybe, but  _ these _ babies count double!” From under her bed, she pulled out an intimidating pair of black boots. They honestly looked to Weiss like they were meant for riding a motorcycle. They were tall, for short boots anyways - they reached a more than a few inches above Ruby’s ankles. Near the top, there were two large silver buckles, stacked vertically, for each boot. As Ruby sat to lace them, Weiss could  _ also _ tell that the heels weren’t flat, but the rubber pattern on the sole was quite jagged - whether this was for grip or pure intimidation, she couldn’t tell, though it appeared to accomplish both. 

“Okay…” Weiss agreed. “Those are  _ definitely _ lesbian boots.”

  
  


They left their room with a few minutes to spare. Weiss had chosen a classy white retro dress with a black petticoat underneath that was just barely visible below the hem. She had also chosen a knee-length pair of brown boots, and wore a brown leather jacket for the weather. Lastly, because the forecast had claimed that it would rain some time after eight, Weiss had brought a long umbrella. Ruby was actually carrying her school backpack as they walked.

“So we’re meeting at Yang and Blake’s apartment?” Weiss asked.

“Yup!” Ruby said. “It’s near where we got pizza with my dad last week.”

“I remember,” Weiss said. “How close is the theatre?”

“Not far, maybe a 20-minute walk,” Ruby said. She gave Weiss a smile. “Relax, we’ve got plenty of time.” When Weiss checked her scroll, she had to concede that Ruby had a point - it was only 6:15, and the movie started at 7. Ruby adjusted the straps of her backpack as they waited for a walk signal.

“Why  _ did _ you bring that?” Weiss asked. “I thought you were the one making fun of  _ me _ for overpacking.”

“Well yeah, for school,” Ruby said. “But this baby’s full of  _ snacks!”  _

“Aren’t there snacks at the theatre?” Weiss asked, confused. Ruby’s eyes widened.

“The snacks at the theatre are  _ so  _ expensive! They mark up the candy they sell by like  _ six dollars _ or something!” Ruby defended.

“O-oh,” Weiss said, having just learned this information for the first time. Determined not to let the reminder of her lack of understanding about money ruin her evening, she reached into her wallet and pulled out her card. “Well, hey - my father doesn’t seem to have cut me off just yet, so we might as well enjoy some snacks on his dime while we can.”

Ruby stared at her like a kid on Christmas. “Are you sure?” she asked. Weiss snorted.

“Absolutely - I doubt that splurging a little on movie snacks is going to make him more upset with me than he already is.” Ruby’s eyes softened for a moment, but she appeared to make the same concession that Weiss had: refusing to let Jacques’ presence hang over their evening. Instead of dwelling on it, she just looked up at Weiss with those gorgeous silver eyes.

“Can we get a large popcorn?”

  
  


“Hey, you guys made it!” Yang said, crushing Ruby in a hug. Ruby flailed a bit to escape her sister’s iron grip, and Weiss and Blake just shared the same bemused look that they’d had plenty of time to practice while around the Rose/Xiao Long family.

Yang wore a well-fitting pair of black jeans, orange shirt, black and white sneakers, and a bomber jacket, while Blake had an intricate sleeveless black top, a white coat with long tails, and black pants. Her shoes also had a very slight heel.

Yang put Ruby down, stopping over her outfit. “You look good!” She said, equal parts proud and surprised. “Wait, who did your makeup?” 

“Weiss did!” Ruby said happily, making Weiss flush and look away with a nervous smile.

Blake took a closer look at Ruby’s face, heavily examining it. “Not bad,” she finally concluded. Her tone was detached, but warmer than usual.

“Ooooh,” Yang said, noting her girlfriend’s reaction. “You must have  _ talent, _ Schnee!”

“I’m… confused,” Weiss admitted.

“Oh!” Yang said. “Blake is, like… amazing at makeup. She does all of these cool, artistic looks with crazy colors and stuff! You should check out some of her posts!” She immediately whipped out her scroll, apparently on her way to find evidence of her girlfriend’s skills. Blake blushed, hand on the back of her neck.

“I… used to want to be a makeup artist,” Blake said sheepishly. “I got really into the abstract stuff.” At this point, Yang had found some of Blake’s photos, and was eagerly showing Weiss her scroll. From the few pictures that she could really get a good look at in these conditions, they were remarkably impressive - in one, Blake wore bold, abstract purple eyeshadow in a geometric pattern, with yellow highlights - both on her eyes  _ and _ her cheeks. In another, she’d drawn a rose on one cheek and covered the rest of that side of her face with an intricate pattern of vines - they curled up around her eye and into her hair. Still another actually showed Blake with her ears out, but the photo’s description claimed that they were custom made for her by “a friend.”

“These are  _ amazing,  _ Blake!” Weiss exclaimed. “I’d love to talk makeup with you some time - I only know about the whole ‘conforming to traditional gender roles’ aspect of it.”

“Objectively the worst way to use makeup,” Blake laughed. “I’d love to talk to you about it - there’s a lot of things I could probably pull off with your skin tone…” She trailed off, apparently lost in ideas. As Weiss looked more thoroughly, she saw that some pictures also featured Yang, and one even featured a very nervous Ruby, sporting a very dark, dramatic look. According to the description, it was an abstract design inspired by thunderstorms - Ruby had water droplets rolling down her cheek, and lightning bolts sparking off from her eyes.

“Oh, no need to look at that one,” Ruby said, clearly embarrassed.

“Aww, c’mon, Rubes!” Yang said. “You looked amazing!” Ruby pushed her hair behind her ear, hiding a blush. Weiss gave her an indulgent smile.   
“Shall we go?” She asked. The trio all nodded, and soon they were on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Part 1! For the readers who wish to stop here, thank you so much for reading, and I promise that the next full chapter will be coming soon! I hope that you all enjoyed, and please leave a comment down below with your thoughts on this little system. Thank you!
> 
> -Red


	9. Transformation: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you for sticking around! Apologies to subscribers who were emailed twice. Without further ado, here's the latter half of the chapter. Please enjoy.
> 
> -Red

The movie was fun, even if it wasn’t something that Weiss would seek out herself. Apparently, Blake had a secret love of period dramas, which Yang had quickly fallen into as well. They were excited about the film because it was a long-awaited adaptation of a book written during the same time period as its events, which had only gained its fame in the last few decades. The film had mostly centered around themes of sisterhood and togetherness, which absolutely struck a chord with Weiss.

“Do you think Yang caught us snuggling in the theatre?” Ruby asked, as they made their way home in the rain under Weiss’ umbrella.

“I doubt it,” Weiss said. “If she had, she would have said it out loud, immediately upon noticing.”

“That’s fair,” Ruby giggled.

“Plus, we were hardly _snuggling,”_ Weiss said. “I was just leaning against your shoulder to reach the popcorn. _Those_ two, on the other hand, were practically in each others’ laps.”

“Yeah, well, they’re used to having that apartment all to themselves,” Ruby said. “The few times I’ve come over, it’s always taken them a _while_ to answer the door and I think it might be because they’re putting their clothes back on.”

Weiss snorted. “Ah, young love,” she said, eliciting a full-on laughing fit from Ruby.

The pair turned a corner on the way back to their room, and almost as soon as they did, Ruby stopped dead in her tracks.

“What is it?” Weiss asked, her voice immediately full of concern.

“I’m not sure yet,” Ruby replied. “It might be nothing - the rain makes it harder to tell.”

Wordlessly, she took Weiss’ free hand. Weiss interlocked their fingers.

“Just stay close - hopefully it’s just some random person who has nothing to do with your dad.” She sniffed at the air, and corrected, “just some random… _people…_ who have nothing to do with your dad.” Weiss gulped.

“Should we change our route?”

“On it,” Ruby said, steering her off the beaten path.

The pair spent a very tense five or so minutes in silence, with Ruby occasionally sniffing at the air and then going off in a different direction immediately afterwards. Weiss felt so _blind_ as Ruby led her through various alleyways and side streets.

“Okay,” Ruby said finally. “They’re definitely tracking us.”

“How can you tell?” Weiss asked. 

“Based on their movements, they’re purposefully surrounding us, trying to corral us in somewhere.” Weiss’ stomach lurched.

“Should I call Yang and Blake?”

“Text them,” Ruby said, her voice still very low, calm, and quiet. “We don’t want the noise.” Weiss nodded, desperately digging out her scroll and sending out a quick, desperate text to both numbers. Copying and pasting it took five seconds that lasted an eternity. The scroll buzzed instantly, telling Weiss that neither message was delivered.

“Dammit, I’ve got no signal!” She said, frustrated.

“Put your scroll away,” Ruby said gently. “The messages might go through, but right now, I’m going to need your focus.” Weiss gulped again, but nodded. “There’s no way we can evade them fully,” Ruby explained, “So if we’re going to have to fight, I want to do it here.”

Weiss looked around - Ruby had steered them into a narrow alleyway, just wide enough where maybe three people could fit if they stood shoulder to shoulder. Weiss understood right away - their environment would force their pursuers into a bottleneck, and weaken their numerical advantage.

Weiss pressed her back into Ruby’s, covering both sides of the alley. She made a quick, ugly ponytail to make sure her hair would be out of her face. “How many?” She asked.

“Five, maybe six,” Ruby replied. “Seven if we’re unlucky.”

“Can you… take that many?” Weiss asked. She didn’t mean to sound unconfident, but those odds were _not_ great.

“I can try,” Ruby admitted. She winced. “I might end up in my were.” Quickly, she stepped out of the skirt she’d borrowed from Weiss, shoving it into her backpack. She practically tore her boots off, and did the same with them. Weiss was honestly _amazed_ that Ruby would think to protect not just Weiss, but her _clothing,_ from what they were apparently facing.

“Weiss,” Ruby said, her tone immediately conveying that it was important. “If you end up having to see me in my were… I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t hold back on my account,” Weiss said. She took Ruby’s hand again, squeezing it. “And you’d better make sure that we _both_ make it out of here in one piece.”

“Hello, ladies,” a man’s voice said. The figure quite literally stepped out of the shadows, on Weiss’ side of the alley. She immediately noticed the bandages on his right hand, and she recognized his face - he was the man they’d met on the bridge, from the night she’d confronted her father.

“Evening, fellas,” Ruby said. Weiss was _shocked_ at the confidence in her tone. “Any chance you’d help escort two young ladies home?” 

“Sorry, bitch,” the vampire from the bridge said. At the word, Ruby immediately began to growl, her eyes flashing with rage as she glared at him over her shoulder. “We’re only interested in Princess Schnee this evening.” As he spoke, several figures emerged around him - to Weiss’ surprise, most carried knives in one hand, their blades flashing in the low light. Weiss did a head count - including the speaker, Weiss and Ruby were apparently unlucky.

Something brewed in Weiss. She was so sick of having to be protected and defended. She may not be nearly as powerful or experienced as Ruby, but she _refused_ to be treated like an object by men. Weiss closed her umbrella, immediately feeling the rain begin to soak into her hair, and pointed its admittedly sharp tip towards the man, with perfect fencing posture. Her attacks may not wound them, but she would not be defenseless.

“I’m more than a name,” she threatened. “Leave us alone, _now.”_

“Can’t do that, girlie,” the man said. “We’ve got to take you back home to your daddy - and that stupid mutt of yours isn’t around to protect you this time.” Weiss was confused by this. Ruby was right behind her - couldn’t they tell?

The vampires’ apparent leader snapped his fingers, and one on Ruby’s side of the alleyway charged at her. She raised her fists and cracked him across the jaw, but as Weiss turned to face Ruby, another one had sunk his blade into her stomach. Weiss gasped, covering her mouth.

However, to Weiss’ surprise, and to that of her assailant, Ruby didn’t cry out. She didn’t crumple upon being stabbed. She didn’t even _really_ appear to flinch. She simply looked up at the man, meeting his now-terrified eyes as her ears rose from the top of her head, and simply uttered, “Ouch.”

Ruby’s left hand, hanging at her waist, erupted into claws that raked the man across his chest. She grabbed his knife hand in the other, biting a large chunk out of the man’s bicep with her fangs. She still looked human, mostly, but she had far more wolf-like features than she normally did.

Weiss was barely able to process what Ruby’s next move was as she heard footsteps splashing towards her - another vampire, trying to take advantage of her distraction, had lunged for her with his arm outstretched. Weiss sidestepped him, using her umbrella to parry his arm and riposte - the tip of her umbrella dug into his solar plexus. Would what normally be a clean hit in a fencing match instead seemed to almost pierce the man’s flesh, assisted by his momentum. Weiss pushed him aside and Ruby took advantage of his loss of balance, brutally kicking him on the inside of the knee, which resulted in a very loud _crack_. 

“Just _kill_ the stupid wolf!” The leader shouted. At this, he drew his own knife, and lunged for her. Weiss, somehow focused enough to be prepared for his approach, used her umbrella to safely push his knife to the side, away from both her and from Ruby as she apparently fought most of the other vampires at once. Increasingly, Ruby’s movements became wider, and more powerful, as her size appeared to increase. Weiss heard her use what remained of her flannel shirt to cover one vampire’s knife before punching him with a fist the size of his head and yanking him off his feet and tossing him into the wall. 

The leader kept lunging towards Weiss, but it was clear that she was not his target. Instead, he aimed for Ruby’s back, a target that Weiss would _not_ allow him to access. She abused her superior range, cutting off the vampire’s advances as he tried to reach Ruby.

“What does my father _want_ with all of this?” Weiss shouted. “Can’t he just leave me alone?”

Her attacker did not answer, he simply continued his little dance with Weiss. One vampire screamed as he was picked up in Ruby’s mouth and tossed aside like a dissatisfactory toy. Weiss didn’t exactly have the time to get a good look at Ruby, but it was clear that she had fully transformed into her were.

Ruby whined as a vampire’s knife made its way into her chest again. She picked him up with one hand, and raked the claws of her other one down his chest and threw him, but her breathing was haggard as the knife slid out and fell to the ground. 

Weiss’ assailant, frustrated, lunged far too close to her - a _very_ sloppy attack. Weiss, now accustomed to bending the rules of traditional fencing, first parried, then drove her boot into the man’s crotch, and shoved him away with her shoulder. Apparently, that move still worked on bloodsucking creatures of the night, because he went down hard.

Weiss quickly turned to try and help Ruby. Three vampires were down for the count, two of those unconscious and in various states of blood loss. Weiss noticed that Ruby apparently _had_ been attempting to give non-lethal wounds, bashing her opponents against one another or the walls instead of directly going for kill bites. Weiss scooped up the dropped knife beneath her feet and slashed at the thigh of a vampire assailing her as she stood. Ruby then kicked him several feet down the alleyway.

At _this_ point, with over half of their comrades incapacitated, the two vampires still on their feet met each others’ eyes. Everyone simply made eye contact, with only Ruby and Weiss breathing heavily - apparently, their attackers did not need to breathe at all. Ruby, now seven feet tall and likely hundreds of pounds of rippling muscle, walked forwards and bared her teeth at them, her message clear - she may be exhausted, but she could still absolutely take both of them if she had to. Each vampire instead picked up an unconscious comrade and made their escape. The vampire whose leg Weiss had slashed hobbling along, leaning against one whose shirt was torn open.

Ruby’s breathing became even more labored as they all vanished, and Weiss watched her fur recede and her body shrink until she fell to her hands and knees, returning to the normal Ruby Rose. Weiss ran to her, but was stopped by a sudden arm wrapping firmly around her waist, and the sensation of something hard and metal pressing against her throat. 

“Ruby!” Weiss shouted, futilely reaching for her as she was lifted off her feet.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the leader vampire said, pressing his blade closer to her neck. “I wouldn’t wriggle around too much if I were you.”

Ruby’s head whipped around, her fervent spirit immediately reignited by Weiss’ outcry. She met the man’s gaze with a pure, seething anger that would have terrified Weiss if it were directed towards her. She rose, her fingers almost immediately replaced by claws.

“Settle down there, little wolf,” the vampire sneered. “We wouldn’t want anything to _happen_ to Weiss, here, now would we?” Ruby didn’t move, simply seething in her anger. She was naked now, having destroyed all of the clothes that she hadn’t managed to save before the encounter. Weiss didn’t dare sigh with relief, but the two stab wounds in her chest had already closed themselves up, and were no longer bleeding. Ruby was clearly _hurt,_ but nowhere near as close to mortal danger as Weiss had feared.

“All your friends ran away,” Ruby finally said. “And I let them go.” Her eyes narrowed on the man, and she took a fighting stance. “But I _promise_ you that if you try to hurt her, I will _not_ let you do the same.”

“You stupid wolves are far too loyal for your own good,” the vampire replied. “Look at you - you’re exhausted. Are you _really_ willing to die to protect this one _human_ girl?”

“I am,” Ruby said immediately. Weiss couldn’t even _begin_ to process that, however, as Ruby also added, “But we _both_ know that if it really comes down to it, I won’t have to.” Weiss was pressed so close to the man that she could actually feel his muscles tense. “Just _leave.”_ Ruby said. “Whatever her dad has on you, I guarantee it’s not worth your life.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, little girl,” he said. 

“Maybe not,” Ruby shrugged. “But I’m not about to let you get away with this.”

The vampire holding Weiss appeared to come to some sort of realization at that. He sighed, almost in defeat, and muttered, “... I hope Jacques doesn’t mind a little damaged goods.” Ruby’s eyes widened as he quickly withdrew the knife from Weiss’ throat to drive it into her chest. She _screamed_ in agony before the vampire then slit his own hand open with the knife, shoving the wound over Weiss’ mouth.

The blood on Weiss’ tongue tasted… sweet. Succulent - like one of those rich, fancy desserts that her father’s chef would make. Everything in the world was suddenly so heavy - Weiss stopped feeling the cold wetness of the rain instantly. The searing, blinding pain in her chest was but a distant memory - or was that part just a dream? She couldn’t really recall. Weiss’ eyelids fluttered shut as she drank deeply of the sweet liquid that poured down her throat like honey. She couldn’t see or hear anything - the _only_ sensation that she was aware of was that impossibly sweet, delectable taste.

  
  


_“...iss? Weiss, can you hear me…?”_

Weiss was waking up from the loveliest dream.

_“Weiss, come on - wake up…”_

Suddenly, something was _cold._ Weiss did not care for _that_ sensation one bit.

_“Come on Weiss, please be okay...”_

The dreadful, cold thing, Weiss soon discovered, was _everything._

“R… Ruby?” She asked, her eyelids barely creaking open.

“WEISS!” Ruby shouted, instantly crushing her into a hug. “By the _moon,_ you’re okay.”

“What… happened?” Weiss asked slowly. Her brain was still catching up to her body. She frowned. “And why does my chest hurt?” She moved to look down at herself, but Ruby’s strong arms gently stopped her.

“Don’t look down there, look at me,” Ruby said. “We made it, the vampires are all gone now.”

“What about the… the main one?” Weiss asked.

“Gone,” Ruby said. “If he’d have pushed me any harder, he’d be dust.”

“Are you… okay?” Weiss asked. Ruby let out a low, pained laugh.

“I’ll be fine - I’m not the one I’m worried about.” Weiss managed to summon the effort to raise an eyebrow. Ruby exhaled. “That vampire… he started the process of Turning you. He fed you some of his blood after severely injuring you. I fought him off pretty quickly, and I guess we’re lucky that vampire blood is such a powerful anesthesia, but…”

Weiss went cold, and not just from the rain. 

“Am I going to…”

“Not yet,” Ruby assured her. “And not just from this. It apparently takes a few sessions, and eventually you’d have to get buried for a whole day.” She gave the tiniest, weakest little smile. “My dad asked around with some old friends, and we learned a thing or two about vamps. A-anyways, your wounds… they’re…”

“Bad,” Weiss said simply. At this point, the sensation had mostly returned.

“Yeah,” Ruby admitted. “And a hospital will have a _lot_ of questions for us, and it may not even be safe there - plus there’s no telling how long we have before something like this happens again, only worse.” Ruby didn’t appear to be too defeated by this, and Weiss could tell that there was an alternative that she hadn’t mentioned yet.

“What’s your idea, then?” Weiss asked. Dimly, she was aware that Ruby had been cradling her in her arms the entire time. She imagined she’d rather enjoy that feeling under better circumstances.

“If their goal is to Turn you…” Ruby began. “I could do it first.”

She let that hang in the air for a moment, and then quickly explained. “You’d start healing right away - the bite will probably knock you out again but I can take you somewhere safe while that happens. I am _certain_ that you would survive tonight, and it would be utterly impossible for vampires to try and Turn you themselves.”

“But…?” Weiss asked.

“But,” Ruby admitted, her shoulders sinking, “You _might_ not make it through your first moon.” She immediately began to talk at a mile a minute. “I’ll be there to help you the whole time - I can show you what will make the transformation easiest, we can all help you through, and since you’re young and pretty healthy it shouldn’t be _too_ unlikely but I’ll admit that a fair amount of it is just kinda dependent on luck and how well your body handles the change so -”

“Do it,” Weiss said. The longer their conversation went on, the more she felt the pain of her wounds returning.

“Are you _sure?”_ Ruby asked. “Nobody will be able to undo this. No matter what happens, you’ll be a werewolf for the rest of your life.”

“I know,” Weiss said. “But I’m not dying here, and I’m sure as _hell_ not going back to my father.” Slowly, painfully, she reached out to cup Ruby’s cheek. “I trust you. Do it.” Ruby covered Weiss’ hand with her own, and it appeared that a tear was running down her cheek. Perhaps it was from sadness, from anger, or even simply because she’d been overwhelmed by the utter nightmare that they’d just experienced.

“There’s gonna be a scar,” Ruby said softly. “I’ll try and be gentle, but… is there a certain place you want it?” Weiss barely had the capacity to consider that, but she was amazed that right now, Ruby was considering her feelings for something like this. In a _literal_ matter of life and death, Ruby wanted to be sure that Weiss was as comfortable as she could be.

Weiss, slowly getting woozy as the feelings of her injury became clearer, simply pulled up her dress, exposing her right thigh.

“Okay,” Ruby said, not making Weiss speak any more than she had to. “I… I’m so sorry.”

Ruby sat up, closing her eyes in intense concentration. Weiss very dimly realized that she was transforming into her were, without the assistance of the moon, for the _second_ time that night. For a moment, Weiss was terrified that Ruby wouldn’t even be able to do it, but soon, her skin began to shift, and she slowly, slowly grew. Weiss could barely keep her eyes open as Ruby’s were finally loomed over her. As gently as she could, on all fours, Ruby nudged Weiss’ skirts up. After a tiny hesitation, she carefully opened her jaws, and bit down.

The sensation was painful, but not in the way Weiss had expected. The pain felt more akin to a high-powered massage tool hitting a particularly good spot, or the pain of over-exerting herself as she completed an exercise one too many times that day. Weiss’ bloodstream was filled with warmth, but unlike the too-sweet, heavy, sluggish feeling of the vampire’s blood, Ruby’s bite felt more like walking into a sauna. The heat felt oddly _clean,_ like a nice hot shower on a winter’s morning.

Ruby’s teeth eventually relaxed, and she pulled away from Weiss’ thigh. At this point Weiss was able to sit up and observe that her white dress was _covered_ with blood, and torn in the area around her stomach. She shakily reached a hand up to feel it, and her chest was… smooth. Dry, except for the dress and the rain. Her wound was completely gone. Ruby, noticing this too, exhaled with relief, and began padding over to her discarded backpack. She used her limited dexterity to pull the straps as loose as they would go, and then delicately scooped Weiss up, helping her arms into the loops. Weiss had absolutely _no_ idea where Ruby was going with this until she carefully inserted each of her front paws through the straps as well, effectively using the backpack as a sort of harness to keep Weiss on her back. Once she appeared to be secured, Ruby began to move on all fours, carrying Weiss off into the night.

The last thing she remembered was blacking out, her face safely buried in Ruby’s fur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are. Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you thought of this system down below, as well as the chapter as a whole. I truly hope that you enjoyed, and are looking forward to the developments that this chapter has brought...
> 
> -Red


	10. What Comes Next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another long one, folks - thank you to everyone who skipped the violence of Chapter 9 for being so patient with me! I apologize that the summary is a bit meandering, but that tone felt best given the circumstances. Regardless, please settle in and enjoy this chapter - someday, I'll return to writing just three thousand words per chapter, instead of six...
> 
> -Red

Yang’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of her scroll ringing. 

“... ugh,” Blake managed, snuggled up to her chest. 

Bleary-eyed, Yang reached over for her scroll, to see who in the _hell_ was calling at three o’clock in the morning.

“It’s my dad,” Yang whispered to Blake, who just made a small sound of acknowledgement before rolling over.

“Dad, it’s -” She paused, listening. At this, Blake’s ears perked up - sounded like something important.

“She _what?”_ Yang asked, shocked. Blake moved up a little, meeting her girlfriend’s eyes. Yang just scratched at her head reassuringly with her free hand, continuing to listen. 

“Are they all right?” She asked. “Did they - okay. Okay, at least there’s that.”

A few more seconds passed, and Blake’s eyes were filled with concern.  
“Okay. Do you need us _now,_ or… okay. In the morning, then? Yeah, as soon as we wake up, we’ll take Bumblebee.” Blake raised her eyebrows at that. Given the apparent severity of the situation, she was happy to go with Yang, but she was still worried about what had happened. 

“I dunno. I guess they’ll have to tell us.” She sighed. “Try and get some rest, Dad.”

She nodded for a moment. 

“Yeah. Goodnight, love you.” At this, Yang hung up her scroll and put it back on their nightstand. Blake looked up at her, a wordless question on her face.

“It’s Ruby,” Yang sighed. “She showed up at Dad’s door about half an hour ago, in her _were,_ with an unconscious Weiss on her back.” Blake just silently blinked for a moment, processing that.

“What happened? Did she say?”

“Nope. By the time he was awake from her banging on the door, she was out cold. Dad said she had two injuries on her chest, while Weiss had something on her leg.”

“By the moon…” Blake merely whispered. 

Yeah,” Yang said. “They’re both asleep now, and I told Dad to do the same, but… I doubt it.”

“Do you think it was…” Blake couldn’t finish that, hoping that Yang would know what she meant.

“I dunno what _else_ it could be,” Yang said. “Her dad seems pretty freakin’ persistent.”

“I just… I’m trying to wrap my head around _why_ he’s doing this,” Blake said. “Does he know that she figured out he’s a vampire, and he’s trying to silence her?”

“I dunno,” Yang said. “I guess we’ll have to wait until the morning when we get there, and hopefully one or both of them will be up to tell us what happened.” She paused. “That is… if you wanna come with…” Blake looked at her.

“Yang, your sister and her roommate showed up at your father’s door at three o’clock in the morning, wounded. Of _course_ I wanna be there.”

“Okay,” Yang said, visibly relieved. “I just… I figured that since it was all about _my_ family…”

“Honestly, Ruby’s starting to feel like _my_ little sister, too,” Blake said. “And I like Weiss.” She paused for a moment, wrapping her arms around Yang. “But even if that wasn’t true, I would still come with. You’re always trying to be there for everyone else, so…” she smiled. “I’m gonna be there for _you,_ too.” At this, Yang gave her a tired grin, pulling her close and kissing the crown of her head, just between her ears.

“I love you. You know that?” Yang asked.

“I do.” She snuggled her head into Yang’s shoulder once more, returning to their usual sleeping position. “But I never get tired of hearing it.” Yang merely hummed, her arm wrapped around Blake.

“You’re not gonna get much sleep, are you?” Blake asked after a while.

“Maybe, but I doubt it,” Yang said. “I’ll try.” Blake just nodded a little, trying to drift off herself.

It didn’t work remarkably well for either of them.

  
  
  


When morning came, the pair went about their usual routines, some tension hanging over them both. Their meals were quick and easy, their outfits simple and comfortable. Yang stood up, grabbing her motorcycle helmet from its place on their hallway table. Blake pulled hers out of its nearby closet.

Only a few hours after sunrise, Yang pulled Bumblebee out of the parking garage of their building, with Blake’s arms wrapped around her waist. They drove off towards the highway, uncertain of what awaited at their destination.

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Yeah, okay. Thanks, Barty. Talk to you soon.”

  
  


Weiss’ leg hurt. 

But, surprisingly, she was quite comfortable. Wherever she was felt… warm. And soft. Somewhere, she heard the light sound of birds chirping. Weiss adjusted her position in the bed, and by doing so, she learned that she was in a bed. She curled up into herself, not ready to wake up just yet. If she was lucky, maybe most of last night had been a dream.

Weiss was about to drift off again before she heard the sound of a door closing, which made her sit up with a start. Her vision was still a bit bleary, she tried to get her bearings. For the tiniest moment, it looked like she was back in her shared dorm room with Ruby, but her surroundings were soon different enough for her to know otherwise.

A small, tidy bedroom was laid out before Weiss - the wall to her left was dominated by a large window, with sunlight gently filtering through it. A small desk sat next to her. Near the foot of her bed, the rest of the wall was taken up by another desk with a bookshelf, haloed by string lights. Near the door at the far wall was an empty wooden chair, angled slightly away from her. Farther to her right, the opposite wall had a slightly smaller window, with the remaining area taken up by a few framed paintings. Another twin bed was on this half of the room, and Weiss blinked a moment once she noticed that it, too, was occupied. A mop of dark hair, red at the tips, just barely poked out from the blanket.

“Ruby!” Weiss shouted. Her throat was sore and she was _exhausted,_ but that didn’t matter right now - first, she had to get to Ruby. Weiss threw the covers off of herself, wincing as soon as her right foot touched the floor. Her entire thigh _ached,_ but she ignored it as she hobbled towards Ruby’s sleeping form, using the nearby desk to balance herself. As she made it to the bed, the door in the room creaked as it was swung open, drawing her focus momentarily.

“Whoa!” Taiyang said, immediately coming to her side. “Take it easy for a second.” Weiss pulled against him, still focused on Ruby.

“I have to check on her,” she said, and upon hearing this, Tai let her go. Weiss shakily leaned against the bed, looking over her unconscious roommate. Ruby appeared to be mostly peaceful, though her hair was a complete mess. She took long breaths, curled up on her side. The covers were held tightly in her grasp, as if she were trying to wrap herself around them, and not the other way around. Weiss could only see her head and the very tops of her shoulders, but someone had put an oversized shirt on her at some point.

Once she had gotten a good look, Taiyang came to her side again, helping her stand. “I-is she going to be all right?” Weiss asked, as he walked her back over to the other bed.

“Ruby will be fine,” he said. “She’s pretty tough, even for a wolf.” He helped Weiss sit on the bed where she’d awoken, and she leaned against the headboard. Once she’d settled, Taiyang knelt beside the bed. His eyes stayed on her, filled with worry.

“What… happened, last night?” Weiss asked.

“That’s what I was hoping to ask you,” Tai said. “I jumped out of bed because someone was pounding on the door at three in the morning, and by the time I got to the porch, Ruby was lying down in her were, with you strapped to her back, completely unconscious and with your dress covered in blood.”

Weiss just blinked, as some of the memories of last night returned to her. Tai, taking this as her needing a moment, continued. “I cleaned you both up as best I could and got you into bed. I also called Blake and Yang, who should get here soon.”

Weiss looked down at herself - she appeared to be wearing an oversized solid yellow t-shirt, which appeared to come from Yang. She was still wearing the underwear she’d had on last night - if Tai really _had_ changed her clothes while she was unconscious, at least he’d respected her decency.

“We’re… where are we?” Weiss finally asked.

“My home,” Tai said. “Ruby and Yang grew up here - we’re about thirty miles out from the city.”

 _Thirty miles…_ Weiss thought. _She ran thirty miles with me on her back…_

“Oh!” Weiss said. “I… I think some of last night is coming back to me.”

“Really?” Tai asked, his eyes brightening. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Weiss looked down for a moment, trying to properly order the events in her mind.

“Ruby and I were walking home late from the movies… it was raining, and she suddenly stopped, because she smelled something.” Weiss took a breath as her memory cleared. “We tried to avoid them, but they ended up cornering us in a narrow alley.”

“They?” Tai asked.

“V-Vampires,” Weiss said, and Tai merely nodded - apparently she’d confirmed his suspicions. “That man from the bridge was there too, from the night when I ran from my father.” Tai’s eyes narrowed with concern at that, but Weiss continued.

“We ended up having to fight them - Ruby went into her were, and I tried my best to help, I…” she let out the tiniest, slightest laugh. “I somehow held off their leader with my _umbrella.”_ Tai also chuckled for a moment, just at the sheer absurdity.

“A-Anyways,” Weiss continued, “Ruby seemed to mostly fight them all off, and when the regular ones started to run away, she went back to normal, and when I ran to her, that man, the leader, he… he grabbed me around the waist, and he held his knife to my throat.” Tai’s face darkened at this, but he let Weiss continue.  
“Ruby argued with him for a moment - she tried to convince him to let me go, and when it looked like they were gonna have to fight, he…” she winced, recalling the memory. “He _stabbed_ me, in the chest.” Tai’s eyebrows rose.

“I saw the blood on your dress, but…” Weiss’ hand covered where the injury had been, but there was no scar. It was like the wound had never even happened. 

“After that, he - I guess he cut his _own_ hand, too, and he pressed the wound to my mouth,” Weiss continued, shuddering. “It gets really fuzzy after that - the taste was so _overwhelmingly_ sweet, and I… I couldn’t see, I couldn’t hear...”

“Vampire blood does that, apparently,” Tai comforted. “Or so I’ve heard.” Weiss nodded.

“Then, later, I remember waking up with Ruby leaning over me - the man was gone, and she…” Weiss gasped, as this part finally came back to her. “Ruby ended up biting me. It hurt, but it somehow also made me feel _better,_ and…” she stopped. “That’s all I remember.”

At this, Tai was utterly silent. He looked Weiss up and down for a moment, examining her.

“When you say she bit you…” Tai began carefully. “Was she in her regular wolf form, or the _big,_ werewolf form?”

“The big one,” Weiss confirmed. “I - we talked about it. I don’t remember _everything_ she said, but… she wanted my permission, first.” Tai just sighed a very long, very tired sigh.

“By the look of things, that bite may be the only reason you’re here, and not in a hospital,” Tai said. He looked over at his sleeping daughter and shook his head.

“You know what she did, right? What that bite _means,_ now, for you?”

“Yes,” Weiss said, nodding firmly. “And… and I _chose_ this.” She looked over at Ruby. “I’m just glad it came from her, and not from my father.” At this, Tai merely nodded. He reached out, hesitated a moment, and patted her knee. “I’m just… glad that you’re safe. Both of you.”

They shared a tender, almost awkward look for a moment. Taiyang was kind and gracious and he clearly cared about Weiss’ well-being, but he was also her roommate’s father, and she’d only met him once. 

Perhaps sensing her awkwardness at his paternal doting, Tai backed off slightly, checking his watch. “Yang and Blake should be here soon - I was gonna make us some tea.” he stood, stretching a little. “Would you like any?” Weiss gave him a smile.

“Do you have coffee?”

* * *

Yang flicked down the kickstand with her boot as Blake swung her leg off of the motorcycle. Both took their helmets off as Yang walked the bike into her father’s small garden shed. Once inside, Yang hung her helmet on the handlebars and Blake placed hers on the seat.

“Okay,” Yang exhaled, hands on her hips.

“Hey,” Blake said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He said they’re both fine.” She gave a weak smile. “C’mon, let’s go.”

  
  
  


“Ruby did _what?”_ Yang almost screamed.

“I know,” Tai said. “I know, Yang.”

“But _why?”_ Blake asked. “She knows that Turning a human into a were is _dangerous,_ right? Weiss might die!”

“She can also hear you,” A voice said. The trio turned, and there was Weiss, now out of bed. 

For a moment, none of them said a word, just staring at one another. The bite scar on Weiss’ right leg was visible beneath the hem of her shirt, still red and agitated. She had a steaming coffee mug in her hand, and she leaned against the doorway to Yang and Ruby’s bedroom - apparently she still wasn’t quite confident putting too much weight on her right leg for too long.

“Is that my shirt?” Yang finally asked. Blake gave her a look, but Tai just laughed.

“Sorry. I helped her change, and it was dark. I just grabbed one out of the dresser.”

The four of them let that hang in the air for a moment, and then they all laughed at the absurdity of it all.

“Here,” Blake said. “Want my help getting to the couch?” Weiss nodded, and Blake let her arm rest on her shoulders, carefully guiding her further into the living room. Blake gently let Weiss down onto the couch, and Tai took his usual armchair. Yang took her motorcycle jacket off, throwing it onto a chair in the kitchen before joining Blake and Weiss on the couch.

Weiss told them both her tale, a bit more coherently this time now that she’d had a practice round with Tai. Once she’d finished, they were both silent for a while, and Tai continued where she left off, briefly explaining how he’d gotten them both into bed. 

“So… Weiss,” Yang finally asked. “Do you know what your dad _wants_ with you?”

“I have no clue,” Weiss answered. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s… controlling, but this seems like another level, even for him.” Everyone just soberly nodded at that. Weiss, still a bit timid about the whole thing, finally worked up the courage to ask them something that had been on her mind ever since she’d let Ruby Turn her.

“How long do I have?” Weiss asked quietly. “Until the next moon.”

“Three weeks,” Blake said. Yang nodded.

“It’s that Friday.” 

Weiss gave one simple, curt nod.

“How… much has Ruby told you?” Blake asked.

“She basically answered every question I asked,” Weiss said. “There’s the wolf form, the were form, which I’d only seen last night… full moons, most of how Turning apparently happens…”

“Did she tell you what can happen to Turned wolves?” Yang asked solemnly. “On their first moon?”

“Yes,” Weiss replied. “And I would rather die a werewolf than under my father’s thumb.” She gave a very weak smile. “At least this way I’ll be surrounded by friends, right?”

“You will,” Blake assured her. “And you’re going to make it through this - we’re _all_ going to be here for you when the moon comes.”

Weiss’ smile felt like it was a mile wide. She offered Blake a sitting hug, which was quickly accepted. Yang leaned over and wrapped them _both_ up in her arms, too. They all just shared that moment for a little while, before finally pulling apart - though Blake invited Weiss to lean against her, which she gratefully did. Yang put her arm around Blake’s shoulders, gently playing with Weiss’ hair.

“What do we do now?” Weiss asked gently. “With the moon coming?”

“Well, _I’m_ going to move the laundry along,” Tai said, standing up from his chair. “I threw your clothes in there, Weiss - though your dress may be beyond mending.” Weiss just nodded for a moment, a little morose - she loved that dress.

“How did my jacket do?” She asked, as if she were asking about a friend’s visit to the doctor.

“I did some spot cleaning on it and hung it up in the closet,” Tai said. “Do you want it?”

“That would be lovely,” Weiss said. “Thank you _so_ much.” Tai just nodded.

“Here, Dad, I got it,” Yang said, standing. Her eyes met Blake’s, and the pair silently understood that Blake would stay with Weiss, so at least one of them was there for her physically. Yang walked over to the hallway closet, soon returning with Weiss’ leather jacket. She sat up from leaning against Blake to accept it gratefully, and quickly wrapped herself up in it as though it were a blanket. Yang sat back on the couch, now on Weiss’ opposite side. Delicately, she and Blake sandwiched Weiss between them, and she let her head rest on Yang’s shoulder.

“I… thank you, both,” she managed. “For being here. I - I hope I’m not, I don’t know… third wheeling?” Yang snorted, and Blake let out a little giggle.

“It’s okay,” Yang said. “Are _you_ comfortable right now?”

“Yes,” Weiss said immediately. “I… my family was never close like this. Everyone was always so… cold.”

“Well, that might be because your dad’s _literally_ a vampire,” Blake teased gently. “But if that’s the case, then you’re missing out. Platonic snuggles are amazing, and we’re happy to provide them.” Weiss just hummed at that, burying her face a bit further in Yang’s shoulder.

“Just wait until you get used to your wolf,” Yang said. “When Ruby and I were little and we used to go out hunting, I used to fall asleep with my head resting over her neck. I guess I can get a little… protective, sometimes.”

“I guess all of you wolves are at least a little like that,” Blake mused. “Though now I know why you do that with _me.”_ Yang laughed.

“Sorry, sorry,” She admitted. “Force of habit.”

“When… when _will_ I be able to do that?” Weiss asked. “I’m not sure how this whole thing works, exactly.”

“I can’t say I really know, either,” Blake admitted. “I grew up like this, so my answer would normally be ‘around your tenth birthday or so,’ but…” Weiss snorted.

“Yes, well, _that_ disaster has come and gone,” she joked. When she sensed Blake and Yang’s silent concern at the statement, she added, “My parents were never _close,_ but… that night was when they started to really drift apart.”

“Speaking _of_ your family,” Yang began, “Not to get back into heavy stuff too soon, but - you said you had a sister, right?”

“And a brother,” Weiss said. “He’s much younger, though.” Blake merely hummed.

“Well, do you think your sister might know anything about all this?” Yang asked. “You said she broke off from your dad…”

“I’m not sure,” Weiss admitted. “Ruby and I pieced together that my father becoming a vampire was probably at least _somewhat_ recent - we took a beach vacation two years ago, and he didn’t burn up or anything then.”

“Shame,” Blake muttered. Yang chuckled.

“Still,” Weiss continued. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll talk to Winter about it.”

“No need to go right this second,” Yang said. 

“I don’t know how in Remnant I’m going to ask her without being obvious about it,” Weiss laughed. “And if it turns out she _doesn’t_ know, she’ll probably think I’m a lunatic.” She thought for a moment. “I also have no idea where my scroll is - I think Ruby put it in her backpack…”

“Speaking of, I was gonna go check on her,” Yang said. “I’ll try and find her bag, too.” She stood up from the couch, looking down at the pair still on the couch, with Weiss comfortably nestled into Blake. She rubbed Weiss’ shoulder, and placed a gentle kiss on Blake’s head.

“Be right back,” she murmured.

  
  


* * *

Ruby hurt all over.

She was used to running, even in her were, but the extra weight she had to carry had made it harder than she’d imagined, and the highway that led back to her home town was _way_ longer than she’d remembered. She had felt like she was going to collapse by the time that she made it to the familiar wooden porch, and was rather frustrated to find that her paws were too large for the doorbell.

None of that really mattered, though. She’d brought Weiss home safe, and - _Weiss!_

Ruby sat up with a start, and _immediately_ regretted it. Her head started pounding, and she shakily put her hand against her temple.

“Ugh,” she managed, trying to force her eyelids apart with sheer willpower.

“Hey, hey, easy,” a soft voice said. A pair of arms gently held her shoulders.

“Ugh,” Ruby said again. One eye finally opened to a cascade of golden hair and a pair of lilac eyes. “Yang? Where’s… Weiss…?”

“She’s fine,” Yang said immediately. “Dad gave her some coffee, and it seems like she’s doing better. She’s with Blake on the couch right now.” Ruby sat back for a moment at that, her worries abated. Yang gave Ruby a minute to wake up.

 _“Two_ stab wounds, huh?” Yang asked. “You’re lucky they weren’t carrying silver.” Ruby gave a playful laugh.

“This is nuthin’,” she said, with a fake tough voice. “You should’ve seen the other guy.”

“Seriously, Ruby,” Yang said. “Are you all right? Why didn’t you call us?”

“I’m fine,” Ruby said, though the slight shakiness in her voice betrayed her. “And we tried - Weiss’ scroll didn’t have a signal, and we didn’t really get a chance beyond that.”

“Well, I’m just glad you were there for her,” Yang said, sitting on the foot of her bed. “But do you think it was the _best_ idea to Turn her in the middle of an alley?”

“I didn’t - ugh - have too many other options,” Ruby said, her hand returning to her temple. “What was I gonna do, show up with her at a hospital, butt naked?”

“Dad says you gave her a choice,” Yang said. “And… it seems like she’s okay with things, but… still.”

“I know, Yang,” Ruby said. “I know.”

“Yeah,” Yang replied. “Well… if nothing else, let’s just hope we can get her through the next moon.” Ruby nodded.

“Can I see her?” Ruby asked quietly.

“Of course,” Yang said. She gave a cheeky little grin. “Want me to carry you out there?” Ruby gave her an exasperated “stop babying me” look.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yang said. “Here, you can lean on me like a cool, injured action hero, and then you won’t have to let your big sister embarrass you in front of your girlfriend.”

“Yang!” Ruby protested. “She’s _not_ my girlfriend!”

“Not yet, maybe,” Yang teased. More serious, she added, “But tell me honestly. Do you want that?” Ruby tapped her fingers together nervously, looking away.

“Maybe a little,” she admitted. “I haven’t been sure how to, well… start anything. I mean, she’s in a really terrible place right now, and if I were to ask her, and she just wanted to be friends, then…”

“I get it,” Yang said. “You can and _should_ take your time. If she doesn’t feel the same way, and _especially_ if you guys start dating and then break up... I figure it’d be pretty awkward, considering that you’re the wolf who Turned her.”

“I know,” Ruby said sadly. “I know that doing this might’ve… blown my chances, and…” she sighed. “And I’m fine with that. It’s what Weiss wanted, and that’s what matters.”

“There you go,” Yang said, with an approving nod. She reached down to help Ruby up. “But, play it cool in there, because if nothing else… I’m _pretty_ sure she likes you too.”

* * *

Five minutes later, Yang came out of the bedroom with a now fully clothed Ruby leaning on her one shoulder and the backpack on the other.

“Here’s your brave hero, Schnee,” Yang announced. Ruby looked up at Weiss, wrapped up in her jacket and resting against Blake. She gave a timid little grin, which sank into a bit of fear and nervousness when Weiss’ eyes widened in surprise.

“Ruby!” Weiss shouted, getting up to run to her. It wasn’t exactly a ‘run,’ with her leg, but she still moved remarkably quickly given the circumstances. She quickly wrapped her arms around Ruby, her head leaning on Ruby’s shoulder - Yang had barely managed to let Ruby go in time.

“Hey, Weiss,” Ruby said meekly. She paused, then brought up a tender hand to cradle Weiss’ head as she hugged her back. “How’re you feeling?”

“How am _I_ feeling?” Weiss asked, her tone almost angry. “You ran _thirty miles_ with me on your back, you dolt! When you said it would be ‘somewhere safe,’ I didn’t know you’d have to run so far!”

“S-sorry,” Ruby said, almost laughing. “I didn’t think we’d be able to go to campus, and Blake and Yang have a bunch of neighbors who would see us, so… this was the only other place I could think of.” Weiss just paused at that, still a bit indignant. Miraculously, the two of them were both on their feet, supporting each other. Eventually, Weiss sighed in defeat. She leaned back, not yet leaving the hug and meeting Ruby’s eyes.

“Promise me you won’t do something so reckless ever again!” Weiss demanded.

“Asking that of Ruby is like asking a river to flow the other way,” Yang joked. They both looked at her, and she just offered out her arm. “Come on, you two - this reunion will be just as heartfelt if you’re both sitting down.”

Yang and Blake gently brought the pair to the couch. It could just barely fit the four of them, with Ruby and Weiss in the middle, Yang supporting Ruby and Blake gently leaning against Weiss. The pair of injured roommates still held each other tightly, which prompted their friends to exchange a knowing look.

“I’m serious, Ruby,” Weiss said. “If you ever get that close to dying just for my sake like that again, I will kill you myself and then drag you back up here from the underworld just to yell at you for an hour.”

“Looking forward to it,” Ruby laughed, and soon they all were chuckling along.

“Look, I… I know we have a _lot_ to talk about,” Weiss began. “And I have a lot of things to learn in these next three weeks. But for now, can we just… stay here? The four of us?” She met Blake’s eyes, and then Yang’s. “I don’t know if you two have somewhere to be or something, but…” Ruby appeared to also support this idea, and soon all three of them were looking at Yang expectantly.

She just smiled. “I’ll get the blankets.”

* * *

“Hey again, Barty,” Tai said, scroll up against his ear. “Yeah, they’re both awake now - my other daughter and her girlfriend got here a couple hours ago. Can you spare a minute to talk to them? They needed a break, and probably still do, but… they could also use some answers.”

“Of course. I just finished up some grading, so I’ll happily explain what I can when they’re ready.”

“Thanks. Sorry that they’re gonna, y’know… find out.”

“Oh, I’m sure one of them would have dropped by my office hours sooner or later. Besides, once I saw your daughter’s last name on one of her group projects, and from what you’ve told me today… I’d basically put together all their secrets - they might as well get to know mine.”

  
  


“Hey, girls,” Tai asked, walking back into the living room, where the four of them were still snuggled up on the couch. Things had moved well into the late afternoon, and after eating some lunch he’d made them, they were now watching one of Yang’s favorite movies. Tai couldn’t _help_ but notice that Weiss and Ruby were snuggled up just about as comfortably as Blake and Yang often were, though it was basically consistent with the way they’d acted at Parents and Family Weekend. 

_“Dad,”_ Ruby protested. “This is the best part!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Tai said, his hands up in a mock apology. “But if you four can bear to pause the movie for a little while, I’ve got a friend on the line right now who might be able to answer some more of your guys’ questions when it comes to vampires and everything.”

“All right,” Yang said, reaching over for the remote. Tai nodded and set his scroll down on the table in front of them, putting their call on speaker.

“Good afternoon!” A chipper male voice announced. “I understand that you four have been through quite an ordeal these last twenty-four hours, but if there’s anything that you would like to hear directly from the horse, er… _vampire’s_ mouth… I shall do my best to answer.”

Blake’s ears flattened against her head for a moment, as if she were questioning what she’d heard. In fact, all of them had ears out, except for Weiss - Tai noticed the asymmetry, and hoped that they’d soon get there. 

“Um, hello…” Weiss began timidly. “I, er… I was basically fed some vampire blood last night, against my will. Is that something I should be worried about, going forward?” She paused, and added, “Oh! He also stabbed me.” Given everything _else_ that had happened, that part was almost a forgettable detail.

“Yes, I did hear about that, and besides offering my condolences,” The voice began, “I can assuredly say that especially after acquiring lycanthropy, the excess vampire blood in your system should be processed by your body, just like any other poison, and excreted safely. You may feel a bit tired or sluggish for the rest of the day, but that seems it would be the case regardless, due to these circumstances.” 

Blake’s ears twitched again, her face scrunched up in concentration for a moment. Yang gave her a worried look, but she waved her off, still deep in thought.

“When it comes to the stabbing, though, if that nasty brute’s purpose was indeed to Turn you, he likely intended to, well… the nicest way that I can put it is ‘remove some of your blood.’ This is normally accomplished through feeding from a subject before having them ingest a vampire’s blood in return, though from what I have heard, your assailant was in quite a hurry.”

“Oh, I took care of him, by the way,” Ruby added. “The _moment_ he stabbed you, I tackled him, and got you out of his grip. He didn’t put up much of a fight before running off like a coward.”

“You did also fight off _six_ of his friends, Ruby,” Yang added. “I don’t think he’d have had much of a chance one on one, and he knew that.”

 _“Six?_ Dear me,” the voice responded. “You should consider yourselves lucky, then - the men you fought must be _very_ new vampires if you were able to defeat them by yourself, Miss Rose. We generally get stronger with age - the youngest vampires are often a bit weaker than normal humans until they’ve had a few years. Plus, though I doubt you’re truly worried about them, your assailants will likely make a full recovery provided that they feed appropriately.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Weiss said, her sarcasm so thick that it collected in a puddle on the floor.

“But, as I was saying,” the voice continued, “You were likely stabbed because simply ingesting vampire blood is not enough to begin the Turning process - the subject’s own blood must gradually be _replaced_ by it, which was likely your assailant’s intention.” Weiss simply hummed at that, thoughtful.

“Um, just a little side note,” Blake said, speaking up for the first time since the call had began. “I, uh… Professor Oobleck, is that you?”

The other three girls dropped their jaws in surprise, staring at the scroll.

“Oh!” The professor said. Weiss could just picture him pushing up his glasses. “My apologies - I forgot to introduce myself! You’ll have to forgive me, I get caught up with explaining things _outside_ of the classroom, as well.”

There was a beat where none of the girls said a word. Tai just let out a little chuckle in his armchair.

“You’re a _vampire?”_ Ruby finally asked. “But you teach a college class!”

“And you, Miss Rose, are a werewolf who attends that college class - I’d imagine that both concepts are equally absurd.” 

Yang just shook her head. “I mean, he _did_ say that he answers his emails at four AM…”

“Still!” Blake pressed. “How do you walk around campus and everything without getting burned?” Oobleck laughed.

“Beacon College is a remarkable institution, Miss Belladonna - I’m sure you’re familiar with the tunnels between various buildings on campus. It just so happens that they connect my office and many of the classrooms where I teach. I arrive on campus before sunrise and keep my blinds closed during office hours. It can get a bit stuffy in there, but I’d imagine that’s rather fitting of an eccentric history professor, wouldn’t you say? Plus, you’d be _amazed_ what someone like me can do on a rainy day with an umbrella and generous amounts of sunscreen.”

They all just sat there in utter disbelief.

“How did you not smell him?” Weiss finally asked. “I thought you… er, _we,_ were really good at doing that.”

“I’ve never gotten that close, to be honest,” Blake said. “I almost visited your office hours once in person, but you were away.”

“Apologies that you missed me, but I’d imagine that my secret was better kept as a result,” the professor said. “A few students with such keen senses as yours have found me out in the past, but they’re usually surprised enough that they end up revealing whatever sort of creature _they_ are, and we’ll just agree to keep what we learned to ourselves.”

Yang finally looked over at her father.

“You knew one of our professors this _whole_ time and you didn’t tell us?”

“In my defense, we only learned that he taught a class with all four of you this morning,” Tai said. “But come on, of _course_ I know some Beacon profs - it’s by far the most popular college for all of my kids at Signal High.”

“I was offered to teach Advanced Placement History there,” Oobleck said. “But your father told me that what was to be my classroom had a wall made up entirely of picture windows, and I didn’t want to catch fire at eleven o’clock each morning, so I recommended a more sun-resistant colleague instead.”

Weiss just looked up at Ruby, her face clearly denoting the absurdity of it all. Ruby just gave her a tiny shrug, as if to say “this is what you’re getting into,” and Weiss snuggled back up into her shoulder, shaking her head a bit in response.

“Anyways,” Blake finally said, pulling them back to the conversation, “Was there anything else you wanted to ask, Weiss?”

“Oh, yes, yes! Apologies for getting so sidetracked.” Oobleck agreed.

“It’s fine,” Weiss said, thinking for a moment. “I guess… the only thing I’m wondering now is _why_ my father keeps going through all of this trouble to try and Turn me into a vampire. Do you have any guesses there?”

“Hrm.” Oobleck said. “If that is indeed your father’s goal, I may not _exactly_ know why, but I can say what it would ‘give’ him, in the material sense.” Weiss just raised an eyebrow as he cleared his throat. “This aspect of vampirism, you see, is rather dark. Turning another vampire will give the Turner - often called the ‘sire’ - a significant amount of, well... control, mentally, over the vampire which they have now Turned. Besides simply adding to the number of vampires in the world by one, your father _may_ have been seeking this control, but I cannot guess at his methods beyond that.”

“That’s…” Ruby began.

“Messed-up,” Yang finally said. The four of them just nodded.

“Indeed,” Oobleck said morosely. “This is why I personally have not been in the business of creating new vampires.”

“I hope Winter is okay,” Weiss said quietly. “I should text her.”

Oobleck paused for a moment, letting the girls quietly confer with each other. 

“If there’s nothing else, ladies, I believe I shall bid you good day,” Oobleck said.

“Thank you,” Weiss offered. “For talking to all of us about this.”

“Of course, Miss Schnee,” Oobleck replied. “It is my job to answer students’ questions, after all.” They all could just hear his little smile. “And, considering that you four _are_ still students, I believe I shall leave you to enjoy the rest of your Saturday. I doubt I need to mention this, but I shall not treat you any differently than the rest of my students. If you should require an extension on one of my assignments due to another night like the previous, which I surely hope will not be the case, you can inform me directly if you wish, but I would also happily be lied to about illness. Plus, if the moon does happen to be full on a day when our class meets, I won’t be insulted by your absence. My lectures are always online.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Blake laughed. “Thank you, Professor.”

“You’re very welcome,” he replied. “Finally, I shall keep the secrets regarding your identities to myself, and I imagine you four shall do the same.”

“We will,” Ruby assured. 

“Wonderful. See you all on Thursday.”

“Thanks again, Barty,” Tai said, standing up from his chair. He grabbed his scroll, taking Oobleck off of speaker. “Have a good one. Bye.” He put the scroll in his back pocket. “I was gonna water my plants for a little bit - how does dinner in an hour sound?”

The four girls quickly gauged each others’ feelings on that with looks alone, before Ruby said, “Sounds great, Dad. Let me know if you need another pair of hands.”

“That’s my girl,” he laughed. “I might just need it, cooking for five.”

“So… we can stay, then?” Weiss asked. Everyone but Blake looked at her like she’d just spoken an alien language.

“Weiss, of _course_ you can stay,” Ruby said. 

“We’ll see how you girls are feeling tomorrow,” Tai added. “And if you’re ready to head back to school, I can drive you up there in the afternoon.”

“What about you two?” Weiss asked.

“I’ve never actually been here before,” Blake admitted. “I wanted to come by over the summer, but my parents’ place in Menagerie is a bit too far to just visit for a little while.” She looked up at Yang. “I wouldn’t mind staying for a night.”

“Sure,” Yang said. “I parked Bumblebee in the shed, Dad - would you mind throwing a sheet on her so she doesn’t get dusty?”

“Got it,” Tai said, walking outside.

Weiss looked up at Ruby, who quietly muttered “Her motorcycle.” Weiss just raised her eyebrows in response.

“Now then,” Yang said, confidently taking up the remote for the TV. “Where were we?”

As the movie resumed, Weiss leaned her head back into Ruby’s shoulder. She was still uncertain of where this radical new change in her life would take her, but for the immediate future… she had very little to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading, and let me know what you think down below!  
> Sorry that I haven't been responding to every comment these days - I used to pride myself on doing that, but I've sadly (or happily, I suppose) reached the point where I get so many lovely responses that I just don't have the time to reply to everyone, and I figure that most of you would prefer that I spend that time on the next chapter. Regardless, I do *read* every comment, and each one makes me so happy that so many people are reading and enjoying this silly little fic of mine. I've been completely floored by the positive reception of this story, truly, and I have all of you to thank for that. The next chapter will likely take a while (I'll be swamped for the next several days) but I promise that I'll continue this! Thank you all once again for reading!
> 
> -Red
> 
> (P.S. Fun fact: that little Oobleck reveal was something I only thought of after finishing chapter 9, and all of the foreshadowing I did for it back in chapter 4 was just me deciding to characterize Oobleck that way - I didn't even KNOW I was going to put vampires in the fic until much later. I just wanted to share because of how accidentally perfect the foreshadowing was, lol)


	11. Bedtime and Blanket Forts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some major writers' block in about the middle of this chapter, so I apologize if that shows through in the final product. Fortunately, though, this one is by *far* longer than any other chapter (just under 7.5k words, holy crap), so I hope that everyone can enjoy! I also have a little announcement at the end, so look out for that!
> 
> -Red

Dinner was wonderful, especially because the four of them had returned to snuggling in the living room. By now, they were all a bit more focused on comfort rather than closeness, so Ruby sat on the corner of the couch with her feet up. Weiss laid down on her side, her head in Ruby’s lap. Ruby gently played with her hair with one hand, looking at her scroll with the other. Blake sat on the floor, with her back against the side of the couch that Ruby was on. She’d borrowed a book from Yang’s bookshelf, while Yang herself was lying flat on her back, spread-eagle, her head propped up against Blake’s thigh. Blake was quietly reading aloud, and Weiss was half-listening. She kept her scroll on the couch with her, waiting for a response text from Winter.

After an hour or so had passed, Yang spoke up.

“Hey,” she asked. “What’re we going to do for sleeping arrangements?”

“Oh, yeah…” Ruby said. “We don’t really have much of a guest room…”

“Blake, you can share a bed with me, right?” Yang asked. “So that’s one down.”

Weiss figured that she and Ruby could do the same if need be, but she felt it might not be perfectly tactful to advertise that right away.

“That depends,” Blake said. She looked down at her girlfriend, a playful look on her face. “Is it a twin bed?”

“They both are,” Ruby answered helpfully. Blake rolled her eyes, smiling.

“I had a feeling,” she said. “I love you, Yang, but I am  _ not _ going to share a twin bed with you. I need my space.”

“That’s fair,” Yang admitted. “I’m getting too tall for that old bed, anyways.”

They were silent for a while, all thinking about alternatives.

“I guess we could just shift and sleep on the couch,” Blake offered. 

“Dad has a rule,” Yang replied. “No paws on the couch. Not without a cover, at least.” Ruby made a shocked, inspired gasp, prompting Weiss to look up at her.

“I’ve got it!” Ruby said. “We can make a  _ blanket fort!” _

“A what?” Weiss asked in confusion. Ruby  _ immediately _ looked down at her, shock, pity, and hurt on her face - it was like Weiss had just said that she’d never smiled before.

“Weiss, you’ve  _ never  _ made a -”

“Okay,” Yang said, slowly standing. “Now we  _ have  _ to do it.” She stretched a bit, and offered Blake a hand up. “Wanna help me strip the twins in the bedroom, Blake?” She asked. 

“Sure,” her girlfriend laughed, taking the offered hand.

“And I’ll…” Ruby stopped for a moment, looking down at Weiss. “Here - we’ll strip the couch when you guys get back.” Blake raised a subtle eyebrow, but Yang just quietly pulled her along. 

  
  


“How’re you feeling?” Ruby asked softly, her fingers once again carding themselves through Weiss’ hair.

“Better,” she said. “I’m… nervous, about what’s to come. About what Winter is going to say… all of that.”

“That’s fair,” Ruby admitted, gazing out the window. “What do you think are the chances that your sister is working with your dad?”

“I honestly figure they’d be low, considering that she moved away,” Weiss said. “She’s pretty cagey about it, but apparently she started renting a medium-sized house with a bunch of friends in Atlas.”

“Huh,” Ruby said. “Do you think she’s a vampire, then? Or did she get away before that?”

“Well, she only  _ really _ moved out about six months ago, so it’s a possibility that my father still Turned her,” Weiss mused. “But if he did, I doubt she would have been able to leave…”

“Maybe she found a way to break free from him,” Ruby offered. “I mean, the professor said that he’d have  _ some _ control over her, but it didn’t sound like it was full-on brainwashing…”

“Maybe,” Weiss agreed. “If Winter is anything, it’s strong.” Ruby just hummed at that, her fingers still tangled in Weiss’ hair. She honestly  _ loved _ the feeling - her head almost felt a bit warm, somehow, tingling just a bit. She chalked the feeling up to the general warmth of snuggling.

“Is that  _ all _ you’re worried about?” Ruby asked, a note of shame in her voice. It was like she was admitting that she’d accidentally broken something expensive.

“I mean… my anxiety knows no bounds,” Weiss said. “But you’re referring to the moon, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” Ruby said. She paused, exhaling for a moment. “I just… I’m worried that it’ll turn out that I was wrong. That…  _ this... _ wasn’t a good idea. You know?”

“It was  _ my _ choice too, Ruby,” Weiss said. Her own anxieties could wait - for now, comforting Ruby was the only thing on her mind. “You gave me that option, and I took it.”

“I know,” Ruby said. “But it was still, like… my idea and everything, and I’m worried that I made being a were sound easier than it actually is.”

“Nothing worth doing is ever  _ easy,” _ Weiss said. “But… I trusted you to do it.” She looked up at Ruby with a smile. “And I  _ still _ do. You’re going to teach me how to do all of this, and we’ll figure it out.” Ruby just hummed at that, a little bit of worry still in her tone. She wasn’t looking at Weiss - maybe out of shame, Weiss couldn’t tell.

“Hey,” she said, sitting up. “I’m ready to start figuring all of this out if you are, okay?”

Ruby finally met her eyes, and for the brief instant it took her to turn, Weiss was relieved. Instead of smiling, though, Ruby gasped as soon as she actually looked at her.

“What?” Weiss asked. “What is it?” Ruby was looking just  _ above _ her face for some reason.

“Well,” she finally said with a smile. “It looks like you’ve already gotten a head start.”

Weiss just looked confused at that, so Ruby pulled out her scroll and opened the camera. 

“See for yourself,” she said, with all the delight of someone who knew they were giving the perfect gift.  
  
Weiss gently took the scroll and met her reflection, finally able to understand what Ruby was talking about. Atop her head was a pair of tall, furry ears, white as the driven snow. They were standing on end in surprise, but as Weiss spent a few seconds getting used to it, they flattened out a little, to a more neutral expression. After around a minute of staring at herself in the camera feed, fascinated by her ears just gently twitching and moving as she got used to controlling them, she finally looked up at Ruby. Her grin was brighter than the sun.

“See?” Ruby asked gently. “You’ve already made your first little step!” Weiss just nodded, too elated for much else. Ruby’s eyes stayed on her, happy and interested, causing Weiss to blush. She shyly pushed one strand of hair behind her human ear, asking, “What do you think?”

“They’re  _ beautiful, _ Weiss,” Ruby said immediately. “I mean, they’re on  _ you, _ so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised or anything, but…” Her thousand-watt beam of a smile returned. “Still. They suit you.”

Weiss’ cheeks  _ burned _ at Ruby’s compliment - she was never going to understand how the simplest little phrases from Ruby could make her so flustered. She wasn’t even sure how to respond, but fortunately, she was saved by Blake and Yang returning, carrying a mattress between them.

“O-oh! Hey guys!” Ruby said. “Need a hand?”

“Sure,” Yang said, her tail stretched out with the exertion. “Move the table?” Ruby stood up to grab one end, and Weiss quickly took the other. They pulled it out of the way, letting Blake and Yang drop the bare mattress onto the center of the rug.

“So… what exactly happens from here?” Weiss asked.

“Hey!” Yang interrupted. “Way to go, Weiss!”

“Hm? Oh,” she said, looking away. “They’re still out, huh?”

“They are,” Blake said with a smile. “Did you let them out on purpose?”

“N-no,” Weiss admitted. “I was just sitting against Ruby, and they must have come out. I didn’t even know about them until she pointed it out.” That was a bit sobering, but the atmosphere stayed positive.

“Still,” Ruby said, putting her hand on Weiss’ shoulder. “It’s a big step!”

“It is,” Blake agreed. “And… I was wondering. If you’re ready, we could try taking another step tonight, too. So we can all be in the fort.”

“Um… o-okay!” Weiss stuttered. “I can try, at least.” Blake nodded.

“I’ll be there to help you through. I remembered an old trick my mom used to do to help me get used to all the were stuff when I was younger.” Weiss just nodded, a bit nervous. 

“We’ll  _ all _ be there to help you,” Ruby said. “And it’s okay if you don’t get it right away. Three weeks is a long time, and we’ll figure it out. I promise!” Everyone nodded at that, and Weiss just smiled.

* * *

They spent the better part of an hour setting up the fort. The mattresses from Ruby and Yang’s room served as the base, with a blanket from the closet laid out over them. They took the pillows off the couch for sitting, and used the chairs from the kitchen to hang up the blankets. By the time they were done, they’d made a modest little tent, with a very soft base. There was just enough room for the four of them to sit inside, all cross-legged.

“Permission to enter?” A voice asked. They looked up to see the face of Tai, peeking under the tent.

“Not much space, I’m afraid,” Yang said.

“Oh, I figured,” he said. “I just wanted to ask - I hope that you girls do plan on  _ un- _ destroying my living room in the morning.”

“We will,” Ruby promised. “And hey! Check it out!” She pointed at Weiss, whose ears were still out. She realized briefly that she didn’t actually know how to make them go  _ away, _ but that, she decided, was a problem for tomorrow.

“Congrats, Weiss,” Tai said, giving her a nod. “That’s a really good start.” Weiss could only nod back. “Anyways,” Tai continued, “I was going to say that I’m on my way to bed, so I’m gonna wish you four goodnight.”

“Dad, it’s like eight-thirty,” Ruby teased. 

“Yeah, and this old man is beat,” Tai joked. “Also, if I recall, a certain  _ someone _ woke me up at three o’clock in the morning, and then slept until about noon, so maybe that someone shouldn’t poke fun at her dad for needing some rest.” Ruby put a hand behind her head, just letting out a nervous giggle.

“Goodnight, girls,” Tai said. He shook his head as he withdrew from their fort. “I don’t remember signing up for  _ four _ daughters,” he muttered, mostly to himself.

“We love you too, Dad!” Yang called out enthusiastically.

“Yeah, yeah,” he called out behind him.  _ “Try _ not to stay up too late?”

“No promises!” Ruby called back. Tai’s exhausted, fatherly sigh faded away as he closed his door.

“You two really are too mean to him,” Blake said. 

“Seriously,” Weiss agreed. “He’s definitely leagues kinder than  _ my _ father.”

“Fair, fair,” Yang said. “But the teasing  _ is _ a two-way street.” She smiled. “For the most part.”

“So, Weiss,” Blake began. “Are you ready to try the next little step?” Weiss gulped a little.

“Before I decide,” she asked, “Can you explain it to me?” Ruby and Yang also looked at Blake - apparently they were just as in the dark as she was.

“Oh! Of course,” Blake said. She cleared her throat a little, and began to explain.

“The biggest aspect of being a were is the transformation,” she said. “That part can also be the hardest, more often than not. And, since at least the three of us were going to shift before bed so that we can actually  _ lie down _ in here…” Weiss nodded, at least a little bit confident of where Blake was going with this.

“I was going to offer to help you transform into your wolf,” Blake said.

“Help her? How?” Ruby asked. Blake smiled.

“Well, changing, as you two know, takes a lot of focus and concentration. I used to struggle with it as a kid - I couldn’t do it unless forced to by the moon.” There was a bit of sympathy in Yang’s eyes at that, but Blake just gave her a reassuring smile. “So, my mom used to walk me through what was basically a guided meditation. I would curl up in her lap, and she would just gently hold me and talk through every step of the transformation.”

“Oh…” Weiss said, thinking. “I-I’m happy to try, but…” she laughed. “I figured the tail would be first.”

“That’ll be part of it,” Blake assured with a smile. “It’s much easier to start that way, so we’ll do that first.” Weiss nodded.

“I’m ready to try,” she said.

“There’s no real rush,” Blake said. “I figured you might want to watch another wolf shift, first, so you can watch and know what it’s supposed to be like - at least on some level.”

“That… sounds like a good idea,” Weiss admitted. “I saw Ruby go into her wolf once, but…”

“Yeah, I’m usually really fast,” Ruby said, hand behind her head. Weiss rolled her eyes.

“I meant that it was  _ dark, _ Ruby.” Weiss said. “And I was  _ trying _ to preserve your decency.”

“Not much of that for us weres, I’m afraid,” Yang noted. “But we can put you under a blanket, if you like.”

“For what?” Weiss asked. Yang let out a little laugh.

“Well… if you  _ do _ change like that, you’d kind of ruin my shirt,” she said.

“O-oh,” Weiss said. “Yes, that… that makes sense.” The promise of nudity made Weiss look down a bit - she was comfortable around the other weres, certainly, but she wasn’t too interested in the concept of showing them her birthday suit.

Ruby, noticing this, covered Weiss’ hand with her own. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You can change clothes in the bathroom, and come out in the blanket. We’re all…” she made eye contact with Yang and Blake, “... used to this. But we’ll adjust to make sure you’re comfortable.”

Weiss gave her a grateful smile.

Blake gave a nod, looking to Yang. “Would you mind demonstrating, Sunshine?”

“O-oh! Sure,” Yang said, peeling off her shirt and hiding her blush at Blake’s choice of nickname. Weiss averted her eyes as Yang got undressed, only looking back when the sounds of shifting blankets had ceased. Yang was now resting her head on Blake’s lap, and she had mercifully covered herself with an arm and some clever positioning of her legs.

“Ready?” Blake asked.

“Ready,” Yang said.

“Good,” Blake said. “Don’t change all at once, okay? Take your time and follow along.” Yang just nodded, and Blake smiled, pushing her own hair out of her face as she looked down at her girlfriend.

In that moment, more than any that Weiss had observed them, she could tell that Blake and Yang were in love. It was evident in the way that they looked at one another. The sheer admiration in Blake’s eyes as Yang curled up against her - to Weiss, it was as if Blake were looking at Yang for both the first time  _ and _ the thousandth. It was honestly  _ beautiful _ \- Weiss had seen people who were together, but… she couldn’t say that she’d ever observed a love like theirs. Perhaps she hadn’t grown up around the  _ best _ examples, but even so, it warmed Weiss’ heart to see how much they truly cared for one another. 

The only negative aspect, of course, was the pangs of jealousy that shot through her heart whenever she looked at them.

“Okay, Yang,” Blake murmured. “I want you to take this nice and slow.” She nodded, shifting a bit for comfort. Blake inhaled, taking a minute to gather her thoughts.

“I want you to start with your head. Think about your hair, and your ears - your ears and tail are the only things that will stay in your new form. Let your hair gently recede, and feel your face begin to change...”

Weiss watched on with astonishment as Blake talked Yang through the transformation. It took five minutes, at  _ most _ \- and Weiss could tell that Yang was putting a fair amount of effort into deliberately slowing herself down. If Ruby could change in only a few seconds, she doubted her sister was any less proficient.

“And done!” Blake said, causing Weiss to zone back in. Yang stretched in her lap, standing up and shaking herself off. Yang’s wolf was the same straw yellow as her hair, vaguely reminding Weiss of a bigger, more wolflike golden retriever. Blake grabbed her face with a smile, asking, “How do you feel, Sunshine?” Yang quickly began to lick her face, making Blake giggle. “Good girl!” she said, kissing Yang’s head as she scratched her behind the ears. Weiss also briefly noticed that in this form, Yang’s right ear still drooped in comparison to her left. They both looked over at Weiss, making her stomach flip with nervousness. 

“Okay, Weiss,” Blake said. “Your turn.” Weiss’ mouth went a bit dry.

“I… are you sure?” Weiss asked. “The whole thing seems rather… intimate.”

“You can lean on  _ me, _ if you like,” Ruby offered. “Or we can just give you some space.”

“Plus, we can stop with just your tail,” Blake said. “Any time you want to give up, just say so. I don’t want to force you into anything.”

Weiss met Ruby’s eyes. They were warm, as always, but so was her smile.

Always that damn smile.

“Okay,” Weiss finally said. “I’ll… I’ll try it. Let me get changed.”

“You can leave Yang’s shirt in one of the bins in the laundry room,” Ruby said. She handed Weiss a big blanket from the floor of their fort. “See you soon.”

* * *

Around five minutes later, Weiss sat down back inside the fort, wearing nothing but the provided blanket. As soon as she sat down, Blake and Ruby stopped whispering between each other. They both stared at her momentarily, making Weiss’ ears flatten against her head with worry.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Nothing, sorry,” Blake said. “I was just giving Ruby instructions for this.”

Weiss quirked a brow. Blake let out a small laugh.

“I mean… you  _ are _ going to lean against her instead of me, aren’t you?” She had a point. Weiss’ face burned as she sat down between them, slowly positioning herself to let her head rest in Ruby’s lap. Yang, still in her wolf, was curled up in the corner, chin resting on her paws. Blake reached over to scratch her head without having to look. Yang carefully crawled forward until her head laid next to Blake’s hip, where the scratches continued. 

“Get comfy,” Ruby whispered gently. “You might also wanna make space for your tail.”

“Take your time settling in,” Blake agreed. “Let me know when you’re ready to start. Remember, you can interrupt me at any time and I’ll stop there. If you’re partway through, I’ll talk you back out.” Weiss nodded gratefully.

After a minute or so, Weiss exhaled in preparation. “Okay,” Weiss said. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Okay,” Blake said. “First, I want you to imagine a line, starting from the nape of your neck, and travelling all the way down to your lower back. Think of each of your vertebrae as a single point along the line. Changing in the way we do requires energy - the same energy that we get from our food, and use for everything else we do. Starting at the top of your head, I want you to feel as though you’re physically pushing the energy within you - your potential to  _ move _ \- down each of your vertebrae, starting from the top.”

Ruby reached her hand over Weiss, gently placing one finger on the nape of her neck. Ruby drew a tiny little circle with that finger around Weiss’ uppermost vertebrae, and then moved onto the next one. 

The sensation of Ruby’s finger on Weiss’ bare skin was indescribably wonderful - she was so delightfully gentle and her touch alone in this soft, intimate way made Weiss get goosebumps, her whole body tingling. She tried to stay focused on Blake’s words. She continued, her tone very even, methodical, and slow. It was somewhat hypnotic, in a way, though Weiss imagined that was sort of the point.

“Halfway there. You’re doing an amazing job, Weiss - pace yourself, take your time. This will get much easier as you do this more often, so this first time will be hard, but Ruby and I are here with you. Make sure you’re remembering to breathe…”

Before she knew it, Ruby’s finger had almost made it to Weiss’ lower back.

“Now, we’re almost there - many weres describe the feeling of transforming as a sort of flowing sensation - it will almost feel like your body is made of water for a moment. Just relax, exhale, and let your tail out.”

Ruby’s finger left Weiss’ back, and she tried to stay calm as she felt her body changing. Blake’s description  _ had _ been accurate - for the briefest instant, Weiss felt as though her lower back became liquid, and then in an exhilarating rush of motion, she felt her that area shift, as something immediately sprouted out from it. Weiss’ breathing got heavier, as the exertion of the change caught up to her a little bit. Right away, she could  _ feel _ the new appendage that she’d grown. She sat up with a start, needing visual confirmation that it was actually real.

“Weiss!” Ruby said as she got up, carefully supporting her. The immediate head rush that Weiss felt showed why Ruby had gone to her so quickly, but Weiss just blinked until her vision cleared, twisting around until she saw it.

By design, Weiss didn’t have a great perspective on it, but… she definitely had a tail now. It gently thumped against Ruby’s thigh behind her, though Ruby was apparently much more focused on Weiss herself. Her hands delicately lingered on Weiss’ bare shoulders, which…

Right. 

Weiss snatched up the blanket that had puddled around her waist and covered her chest with it - fortunately, her long hair mostly covered the rest of her, though it also quickly settled in front of her face. Frustrated, she tried to flip it out, but her hands were still occupied with the blanket.

“Hey,” Ruby said gently. She’d crawled around to face Weiss, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “We’re here, everything’s fine. Give yourself a few second to get used to it.”

Weiss settled. Fortunately, the tail wasn’t  _ too _ much of an obstacle when it came to sitting down, but she could still feel it gently brush against the blankets on the floor. “Sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what I was  _ expecting, _ honestly, but…”

“It’s okay,” Blake offered quietly, over Ruby’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, I should have explained a bit more before we got into it…”

“No, no - it wasn’t  _ your _ fault,” Weiss said. She offered a timid smile. “The meditation part was actually very… nice. I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise.” Blake’s face softened, and she looked away with a tiny grin. Yang’s head flopped down unceremoniously in her lap, making Blake giggle a bit and start to pet her.

“How are you feeling?” Ruby asked, causing Weiss to refocus on her.

“Better,” Weiss said. “Sorry for jumping up and everything, I was just… surprised.”

“That’s normal, I’d figure,” Ruby said. “Do you want to keep going, or stop here?”

“Can I just have a little break?” Weiss asked. 

“Of course,” Ruby said. “Here, since I’m… decent, how about I get you some water?”

Weiss flushed - she’d forgotten the fact that she was totally naked, and that Ruby  _ might _ have gotten an eyeful before she’d covered herself with the blanket. There’s no way that Blake hadn’t, with where she’d been sitting.

“I’d like one too, please,” Blake said.

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” Ruby said. She  _ had  _ been talking a lot.

The moment Ruby left the tent, Weiss buried her face in her hands, careful not to drop the blanket that still covered her.

“I’m so bad at this,” Weiss said.

“Hey, c’mon, you’re figuring it out,” Blake offered. “I mean, it’s only  _ one day later _ and here you are, ears and tail out.”

“No, I…” Weiss paused. “I mean, yes, I  _ am _ worried about that, but…”

“So it’s about Ruby, huh?” Blake asked. Weiss was expecting a smug grin, but mercifully, Blake was sincere.

“I… yes,” Weiss admitted. She looked down at Yang, and was grateful that for the moment only Blake was capable of speech. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“It’s  _ okay, _ Weiss,” Blake offered. “You don’t have to figure out your whole life in the first few weeks of college. Plus, it seems like you’ve got a  _ lot _ going on right now, and Ruby is respecting that.”

“She - she is?” Weiss asked. At this, Blake endearingly rolled her eyes, and Yang let out a snort that was suspiciously close to a laugh.

“Weiss,  _ look _ at what Ruby’s doing. She ran you here last night, has been  _ constantly _ reassuring you all day, and is doing  _ everything _ she can to pretend that you’re not a pretty, naked girl resting your head in her lap as we’re doing this because she wants to respect your boundaries.” Weiss blinked, and in  _ that _ context, so many of Ruby’s actions clicked into place. It wasn’t just protecting her from the vampires, or standing up to talk to her father when they met in person - it was the meals she’d prepared for Weiss, the smiles, the timid but reassuring touches… everything.

“O-oh…” Weiss said, her voice small. “I just… I thought that that’s what Ruby was like.”

“To a certain extent, absolutely,” Blake said. “She and Yang are  _ both _ like that - they’re trusting, loving, and will do  _ anything _ for someone who needs them, with or without romance.” She affectionately looked down at Yang, idly scratching her head. “I’m confident that Ruby wouldn’t be treating you all that differently if she didn’t like you in that way, especially since she’s the wolf who Turned you.” Weiss’ heart fell a little bit, as her fears were ever so slightly confirmed.

“But,” Blake continued, “As a former clueless gay girl being wooed by a member of the Rose/Xiao Long family, I would bet there’s a chance that Ruby  _ does _ like you like that.” Weiss looked up at her, eyes full of hope. “Maybe now isn’t the  _ best _ time,” Blake said. “And I’m sure that Ruby is being extra-careful with her feelings because she knows how much you’re going through. But… she really, really cares about you.”

“I… I should do something for her,” Weiss said, mostly to herself. Blake smiled.

“I think she’d like that.”

* * *

“Hey!” Ruby said, returning with two water bottles in her hands. “What were you two talking about?”

“Were stuff,” Blake said smoothly. From that line alone, Weiss could tell that Blake was probably ten times the liar that she was.

“Cool,” Ruby said, handing them each a water. Weiss gratefully cracked hers open and took a deep drink, while Blake sipped her own. They made small talk for a while, talking about their writing project, as well as their thoughts on the movie they’d all seen last night, though it felt like forever ago. 

“Okay,” Weiss said, capping her water bottle. “I think I’m ready.”

“Good,” Blake said, putting hers aside. “Ruby, do you remember everything I said before?”

“Yup!” Ruby chirped.

“All righty,” Blake said. “Let’s get started.”

“We’re going to start with your head. You’ve already gotten your ears out for the first time, and I want you to focus on those. Think about how you can move them, ever so slightly - make them perk up, and then flatten against your head.” Weiss followed along, doing each action in order. It was still a little odd to manipulate some body parts that she’d never had before. Ruby was very gently scratching behind her wolf ears, which Weiss now understood to be the single greatest feeling in the world.

“I know that this is all strange, but I can tell that you’re already getting used to it. Your ears, your tail… they’re a part of  _ you, _ now, and your wolf is no different. Have you noticed that you can pretty easily recognize Ruby while she’s in her wolf, just from her eyes?”

Weiss nodded a little bit, her head still in Ruby’s lap.

“The same is true for all of us - the little details of our faces and bodies that make us recognizable tend to carry over. I can recognize Yang in her wolf from the side, just because of the shape of her profile. I’m not too sure if I can fully quantify it, but I just  _ know _ it’s Yang.”

“Picture yourself - imagine your reflection. Think about the little details that you recognize from looking in the mirror every morning. The shape of your cheekbones, the precise angle of your nose, the unique shape of your lips. The tiniest little details that distinguish you from, say, your sister, or your mom.”

“Now… let those features shift. They’re not disappearing, they’re just moving - start with your nose and lips. Feel them ever so slightly begin to stretch. You’ve seen Ruby in her wolf, you’ve seen Yang - try to apply the features that make you  _ you _ to that form. Think about how things would work, how those traits of yours might express on a wolf. And… let them slowly begin to take place.”

Weiss’ eyes clenched shut for a moment as she tried to imagine it. That similar liquid feeling took over again, but she was ready for it this time. Weiss felt her face pushing outwards as she followed Blake’s instructions.

Her nose and mouth elongated into a snout. Weiss felt her teeth grow and sharpen, though they still fit together elegantly. Her neck got a bit longer, and much thicker, as fur began to sprout. Her human ears faded away, and her hair receded until it was indistinguishable from her fur.

“Great job!” Blake said, her voice a bit warmer, though still calm and even. “That was the hardest part. Now, just let that feeling continue down your body.” Ruby’s gentle scratches turned into longer, more purposeful strokes, as if she were physically coaxing the transformation downward.

“Now, from what I understand about wolves from an evolutionary standpoint, in terms of physiology, they’re exceptionally good at one thing: _ running. _ We can enjoy our opposable thumbs in our human forms, but your wolf is much more specialized than that. Every aspect of a wolf’s body is meant to be sleek and agile. With that in mind, let your hands close up and become more specialized, too.”

Weiss felt her hands shrink as her elbows realigned. By now, the changes had reached her whole upper body, and she felt her shoulders narrow in as they became more suited to her new profile. Ruby’s encouraging touches spread the change still downwards, and while the process was difficult and a little exhausting, it also became invigorating - Weiss was  _ doing it, _ she was actually changing her form along with Blake’s instructions.

“Halfway there! The second half is much easier. Your torso and legs are gonna get shorter. Let your feet change too, just like your hands. Feel these changes meet up with your tail. It was always meant to be a part of this form, just like that. From here, you’re mostly just finishing up.”

Blake was right - Weiss had needed the instruction for the first parts, and while she certainly wouldn’t imagine herself as remarkably proficient, she could see what other changes remained, and followed them to their logical conclusion. Mercifully, it seemed, the final part was the easiest. Before Weiss knew it, she was fully transformed, still lying on her side in Ruby’s lap.

“Hey, Weiss,” Ruby whispered delicately. Weiss stretched out her limbs, like she’d seen Yang do - now that she had finally finished, the changes  _ had _ been quite tiring, and Blake’s calm, hypnotic ramblings had certainly mellowed her out. Ruby slowly drew her hand along Weiss’ flank, underneath the blanket.

“Great job, Weiss!” Blake said. The approval in her voice gave Weiss a little thrill. “Do you think you can stand up?”

Weiss huffed. Maybe she  _ could, _ but for the moment, she had absolutely no desire to.

“Aw, c’mon,” Ruby teased gently. “At least open up those beautiful blue eyes of yours?”

If Weiss could blush in this form, she would most certainly be doing it now.

Slowly, Weiss blinked, letting her eyes adjust to seeing the world from this angle for the very first time. She hadn’t really felt them change all that much, but she did notice that the world was suddenly much clearer in the gloom. She could make out the small details of their little blanket fort, even in what was now almost total darkness.

“There you are,” Ruby whispered tenderly. “How do you feel?”

Weiss opened her mouth, then found her tongue inadequate to speak proper English. Instead, she merely nuzzled up against Ruby a bit more, her tail thumping against the blankets.

“That’s good to hear,” Ruby chuckled softly. Weiss still couldn’t really see her at this angle. “Is it okay if I pull the blanket off?” She laughed as she remembered the little system they’d developed, now in reverse. “One bark for yes, two for no.”

Weiss was concerned at this - she was now apparently tasked with figuring out how to make sound. Not wishing to embarrass herself or make too much noise, she hesitated, trying to find the best way to do it. It couldn’t be  _ too _ different from talking, could it?

What finally came out was a quick, high-pitched yip, which definitely made Weiss cringe a bit, but it certainly could have been worse.

“Okay,” Ruby said, peeling the blanket off of her. “Let’s get a proper look at you.”

Weiss heard both Ruby and Blake let out tiny little gasps, but they didn’t say anything in particular. She picked her head up, trying to meet Ruby’s eyes and silently ask her what that was about. Instead, she saw Yang, now standing up from Blake’s lap. She gently padded out of their little tent, looking back at Weiss to indicate that she follow. She looked around a bit more to find Ruby, but apparently she would need to stand up to get a better look.

Carefully, Weiss tried to roll up from her side. She hoped that the movement looked at least a  _ little _ graceful, but judging by Ruby’s resulting giggle, it likely wasn’t. However, she successfully made her way up to lying on her stomach, now only tasked with actually standing. 

This motion was easier than Weiss had expected, as her hind legs were conveniently bent in such a way that she could simply push herself up from there. Standing wasn’t  _ too _ much of a problem, but walking seemed like quite another.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said, gently petting her back. “Take your time and follow Yang. It’s not too difficult, I promise.” Weiss was finally able to turn her head at the proper angle to actually meet Ruby’s eyes with her own, and she took one small, tentative little step towards her, bringing her snout right up to Ruby’s face. Ruby blinked in surprise, and Weiss, nervous and wishing to remain demure, but also wanting to show her gratitude, stuck her tongue out the tiniest little bit, and gave Ruby a miniscule, dainty lick.

“Thank you,” Ruby laughed, scratching at her ears. “But Blake did most of the work, so you  _ should _ be thanking her.” Weiss sat, looking over at Blake. The girl just smiled, giving Weiss a nod - she was  _ completely _ uncertain if a lick would be socially acceptable to give to a taken woman, and she already felt like she’d embarrassed herself with Ruby. Weiss merely returned the nod as best she could.

“You’re welcome,” Blake said. “And I’m really glad that you managed to get here so quickly.” She flicked her head over at Yang. “Seriously, though, try following Yang. She’ll show you how to walk.”

Yang’s tail wagged a bit at this mention of her name, and she walked in a quick little circle, almost impatient. Weiss nervously stood up, reaching out with one of her front paws. She made the same movement with the back paw on the opposite side, figuring that walking as a wolf had to be somewhat similar to crawling on her hands and knees. This first step became a second, and then a third, and slowly but surely, she made her way out of the blanket fort.

“Great job, Weiss!” Ruby said from behind her, causing Weiss’ tail to involuntarily wag at the praise. Ruby got up herself, following her out. “I’ll be right behind you.” Weiss tried to nod again, and turned her attention back to Yang. Upon knowing that she was following, Yang took several confident strides in the direction of her childhood bedroom with Ruby, making Weiss struggle to keep up. She also heard Blake stand up behind her (apparently her hearing had improved), apparently also coming along.

Upon making it into the next room, Weiss found Yang sitting back on her haunches next to a tall rectangular object - a full-length mirror. Ruby flicked the lights on, and Yang gestured towards the mirror, indicating that Weiss take a look.

Weiss nervously sat before the mirror, looking up at her reflection. The first thing she noticed was her scar - the thin pink line that she’d earned from an unfortunate accident while fencing was even more pronounced in this form, as it was now the only part of her face that didn’t have any fur. 

Speaking of, that fur was a stark contrast to the brown walls behind her. Weiss’ entire body was as white as fresh snowfall - she imagined that she’d be nearly impossible to spot in a December blizzard. The most prominent details that stood out against her fur were her black nose and her crystal-clear blue eyes. 

The rest of her face was very soft, and not just in texture - her fur quickly fluffed outwards as it got farther from her snout, making her face appear very round as a result. Her wolf ears, now the only pair that she had, were essentially identical to the way they’d appeared before she’d changed. Unlike Ruby, whose ears were brown on the outside with white fluff on the inside, Weiss’ ears were all the same color throughout. 

Overall, Weiss felt almost the same, in a way - her body was of course very different, but she felt like she’d be able to recognize herself in this form in something like a photograph. Apparently, Blake had been right - the subtle details of her face, its elegant, yet soft shape had essentially transferred over. 

“What do you think?” Ruby asked, walking up behind her and gently tousling her ears.

Weiss, still unable to form actual words, just looked up at her, letting her tail gently wag across the floor. She met Ruby’s eyes, hoping to silently ask  _ her _ the same question.

“You look amazing, Weiss,” Blake said from behind her. When Weiss looked over, she saw that Yang was now beside her, happy to receive idle petting across her back. “I figured that you’d be a white or grey wolf, because of your hair, but…”

“I couldn’t have imagined that she’d look like  _ this,” _ Ruby said, mostly to herself. Weiss tilted her head in a silent question, prompting Ruby to kneel down in front of her, so that they were mostly on the same level.

“So, don’t take this the wrong way, or anything, but… your wolf is…” Ruby exhaled. “Your wolf is  _ beautiful, _ Weiss. It’s, like…”

“Very beautiful,” Blake agreed. “You’d probably be some photographer’s dream nature shot.” She laughed. “I can just picture it now - a calm, frozen wood, dotted with evergreen trees, with a lone white wolf standing on a cliff, her face just  _ perfectly _ turned towards the camera in an elegant, demure expression…”

Weiss huffed, now certain that she was being made fun of. She stood up, holding her head high as she walked past Blake and Yang. Ruby followed, and soon the four of them were back in the blanket fort.

“I didn’t mean to tease you,” Blake said. Weiss looked up at her, and just rolled her eyes, not actually very annoyed. “Thank you for your forgiveness,” Blake laughed. 

“You…  _ are _ really pretty, though,” Ruby said, her hand behind her head. “I - um! In your wolf, I mean. N-not to say that you aren’t really pretty when you’re a human too - you are! I just mean, that…”

Weiss sat up, putting a paw in her lap to stop her. Ruby’s face had turned an adorable shade of crimson, and Weiss just rubbed her face against Ruby’s, trying to tell her it was all right.

She was also maybe flirting. Just a little bit.

“Sorry,” Ruby laughed. “I should probably change for bed and stop embarrassing myself.” She took her shirt off, walking out of the fort to put it and the rest of her clothes away. Blake met Weiss’ eyes, a smug ‘I told you so’ more than evident on her face.

“I think I’ll change, too,” Blake said. To Yang, she asked, “Should I throw my clothes in the laundry room?” Yang picked her head up to nod. She was lying next to Weiss, slightly curled up on her side, with her back against Weiss’ flank. Weiss herself found it generally more comfortable to lie on her chest, her head resting on her front paws, with her back legs tucked up underneath her. Blake followed Ruby out of the fort, and Weiss heard her flick off the light in the bedroom, shrouding their cozy little den in complete darkness.

Soon, a familiar brown wolf and a lithe, pitch-black panther made their way into the fort. Ruby sidled up next to Weiss, laying her head protectively over Weiss’ neck, just as Yang had described earlier that day. Blake, almost invisible in the gloom, curled up on Yang, covering her exposed legs. She received a small lick on the face from Yang upon settling in, letting out a deep, happy purr in response.

Ruby’s weight on her shoulders was just right in terms of Weiss’ comfort - she felt like the warmest, fuzziest weighted blanket in the universe. Add that to the fact that Yang’s wolf was basically a space heater, snuggled up against her side, and Weiss almost immediately felt her eyelids begin to droop.

It had been quite a day, and Weiss was already exhausted. Even still, she couldn’t help but feel immensely proud of the progress she’d made, even though Blake, Yang, and Ruby had been a major part of it. Weiss wasn’t sure that she could have managed any of this without them, and she was very grateful that she didn’t have to. Already, the three of them, and even Tai, had been far kinder to her than her actual family, except for maybe Winter.

_ Family, _ Weiss thought, the word echoing in her mind a little bit. Maybe, in some sense, that’s what they were - maybe it was because they were weres and therefore much more prone to snuggling, maybe it was just because they were all  _ extraordinarily _ kind, but that word somehow already felt like an appropriate descriptor for the three of them.

In a sense, Weiss had somewhat grown up as the odd one out in the family, which she had previously chalked up to being the middle child. Winter had immediately dedicated herself to academia, and eventually criminal justice and law school, and even though Whitley was only fourteen, he had already taken up an impressive amount of their father’s business acumen. Weiss, by contrast, had never really felt like she  _ fit  _ \- there was fencing, singing, but those felt a bit more like hobbies than true passions. She’d never found her drive, her place in the world.

But here, now, at least for the moment - snuggled up comfortably beneath her roommate, who was quickly becoming a bit more than  _ just _ Weiss’s roommate, pressed up against two other weres who she somehow already trusted with her life…

Weiss had never been more certain that she belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all once again for reading!  
> EDIT: This work has now reached 500 kudos, so I'm closing the strawpoll for the bonus chapter! The first-place winner was "WhiteRose Dorm Room Fluff" with over 57% of the total votes. I honestly found this a bit surprising - I figured that everyone would want a change of pace from Weiss and Ruby, but I suppose it also makes quite a lot of sense that people want to see WhiteRose in this WhiteRose fic. However, the runner-up was Snowbyrd (Winter/Robyn) Domestic Fluff, with another 27% of the votes, and because I got a really wonderful idea for that, I think I might just go ahead and write a bonus chapter for BOTH.
> 
> Stay tuned for those chapters! I think that chapter 12 will come out first, but after that I'll start up on those two bonus chapters, which will likely be their own works, instead being chapters 13 and 14. I'll put them in a series with this work so everybody will be able to find them!
> 
> Thank you all SO much for all of your lovely support - truly, this fic has become far more than I could have ever hoped, and I'm so, so glad that you all enjoy it. 
> 
> -Red


	12. Blood Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter gets a little bit... intense. I can't really put a proper descriptor on a specific trigger warning to watch out for - though a kind of assault is rather accurate. That particular event is described as taking place in the past, and is deliberately told and not shown to soften up that intensity, but please do still be warned and take care of yourselves.
> 
> Also, this chapter will discuss Mantle as a location, and I find it helpful to think of Atlas (in this universe) as working like New York City - the whole thing is called "New York City," but there are entire sub-cities like "Brooklyn" and "Manhattan" that are well-known locations in their own right, despite still fitting under the umbrella of New York City. Plus, for further confusion, the whole country (in this fic) is also called "Atlas," just like how New York is also an American state.
> 
> -Red

Weiss’ leg bounced gently as she sat in front of her computer, waiting for Winter to call. Tai had driven her and Ruby back to their room three days ago, once Blake had talked Weiss back out of her wolf. To Weiss’ relief, entering that form was much more difficult than leaving it, so she wasn’t too worried about ever finding herself stuck that way. Tai had also promised to take Weiss’ dress to the were-friendly tailor in Ruby’s cozy little home town, hoping that she might be able to repair it for her. If nothing else, Weiss planned to take a few pairs of pants and tights to her next weekend, so that they could be altered to accommodate her tail.

Everything else was mostly set - she and Ruby would try a few simple things in their room at night to help Weiss get used to transforming, and the four of them were planning on going hunting next weekend in the woods of Patch, where Yang and Ruby had spent the moons before going to Beacon. Ruby had assured her that the actual “hunting” part didn’t at all require her participation - they just wanted to get her in an open space where she could really get used to her wolf. Now, the only thing left to worry about in Weiss’ immediate future was…

“Winter!” Weiss said, answering her video call. “How are you?”  
  
Winter Schnee was a very well-put-together woman. Her white hair was, as always, pulled up in the high bun that she’d taken to wearing since Weiss was nine. Weiss could tell that she was sitting at a desk, which was _impossibly_ neat, no pencil out of place. The room behind her was somewhat bare, and the queen-sized bed was made so precisely Weiss could bet that she’d used a ruler. Winter herself wore an elegant but comfortable collared shirt with a blue tie, having likely just returned from observing a court trial. Most shockingly, though, Winter Schnee _also_ wore a tiny smile.

“I am well,” she replied smoothly. “How have your first few weeks at college been?”

Weiss resisted the urge to laugh.

“Eventful,” she said. 

“Oh?” Winter asked, one eyebrow very slightly raised. She really must make an _amazing_ interrogator.

Weiss sighed.

“Father… _attempted_ to visit for Parents and Family Weekend,” she explained, knowing that she was breaking their unwritten rule of leaving all other family members out of their conversations. Still, she absolutely wanted to know where Winter stood with their father, and this seemed to be the best way to broach that subject.

“I see,” Winter said, fortunately allowing herself a small laugh at Weiss’ choice of phrase. “And how successful was his… ‘attempt?’”

“I suppose that depends on one’s definition,” Weiss hedged. “I _did_ give him four days to plan logistics with me, though apparently the Schnee Drilling Company was far too time-consuming for him to respond.”

“Color me surprised,” Winter said. “Did you end up even seeing him?”

“ _Un_ fortunately,” Weiss said, stressing the first syllable of the word. “He managed to ruin what was an otherwise lovely evening with my roommate and her family.”

“Your roommate?” Winter asked. Weiss looked over at Ruby, who appeared to be deep in concentration with her drawing tablet, headphones in. She knew that this call was happening, and had wanted to give Weiss her space.

“Her name is Ruby,” Weiss said, turning back to Winter. “She’s rather… enthusiastic, about a great many things, but she’s remarkably kind, and so is her family.” Weiss snickered. “I imagine that Father doesn’t like her one bit.” Winter’s expression became a bit colder at Jacques’ second mention, and Weiss realized she was pushing her luck a little.

“Yes, well.” Winter replied, cutting off that line of conversation.

“How about you?” Weiss asked. “How is your new home in Mantle working out?”

“It’s… certainly something,” Winter admitted, side-eyeing what Weiss presumed to be her door. “Having four roommates is _challenging,_ to say the least, though it is nice to be a bit further from central Atlas.” _Further from him,_ Weiss thought.

“Sorry - _four_ roommates?” Weiss asked. 

“Yes,” Winter said, an existential tiredness quite present in her voice. “Though splitting rent five ways does mean that we can enjoy a rather large home. Perhaps I can show you -”

 _“Hey, Snowflake!”_ a voice called from another room, making both women freeze instantly. From what little Weiss did hear from the voice, it was certainly feminine, but low - honestly, the best adjective that came to mind was ‘sultry.’

“May and I are back with dinner - I got your favorite!”

Winter softly gasped, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. If Weiss were even slightly less perceptive, she definitely wouldn’t have noticed it, but she could have _sworn_ that she saw the tiniest little glint of light reflecting off of something in Winter’s mouth. Her eyes narrowed to get a better look, but Winter regained her composure too quickly for Weiss to be sure. 

“Excuse me,” Winter said curtly, standing up in a rush. She walked offscreen.

Weiss sat back in her chair, utterly astonished. As far as she knew, Winter Schnee had been called that pet name precisely _once,_ when she was sixteen years old. At a Schnee Family Foundation charity event, one of their father’s older associates had, after being a bit _too_ indulgent in the open bar, told Winter to “lighten up a little, Snowflake.”

The exact outline of her hand could be seen on his cheek for hours afterwards, and Winter had never attended another charity fundraiser after that. 

Weiss stealthily turned up the volume on her laptop, hoping to hear a bit of Winter’s offscreen conversation. It was too muffled for her to really catch anything, though, and it quickly died down.

“Everything okay?” Ruby asked softly, holding up one ear of her headphones. 

“Not quite sure yet,” Weiss admitted. “She had to go for a moment.”

“Do you think she’s…” Ruby put her tablet pencil down, using both index fingers to pantomime a pair of fangs. It was frustratingly adorable.

“I don’t know yet,” Weiss admitted. “She certainly doesn’t have a high opinion of Father, which is definitely a positive.” Ruby just nodded, giving her a reassuring look before returning to her drawing assignment. 

“Winter?” Weiss finally called out, hesitant. She was about to wonder whether she should try calling back later when Winter re-entered the screen, her metaphorical feathers a bit ruffled. Weiss also noticed that she’d set an unmarked soda cup, straw and all, on the corner of her desk.

“Apologies,” Winter said. “Two of my roommates just got back from ordering takeout.”

“I… see…” Weiss said. She had never experienced this before - normally, _she_ was always the one embarrassing herself in front of Winter, so the reverse was rather strange. Innocently, Weiss asked, “Who was that?”

Winter sighed, existentially tired once more. “One of my roommates.”

“Of course,” Weiss said. For some reason - perhaps because recent events in her life had emboldened her - Weiss decided to push her luck. “Does she… have a name?” Winter gave her a look, and Weiss innocently said, “She seemed very… interesting.”

Winter seemed to consider that for a moment. She gave Weiss a long, probing look, and Weiss did her best to stay calm under that gaze.

“You know what?” Winter asked, mostly to herself. “I think it’s time I showed you.” She turned her head towards the door, and called, “Robyn! Come meet my sister!”

A pregnant pause lingered in the air from a moment. That same sultry voice, now the teensiest bit nervous, asked, “Are you sure?” Winter immediately rolled her eyes with a smile, and Weiss now knew what other people saw when _she_ did it.

“Don’t make me change my mi-ind,” Winter called. 

Weiss’ ears must be deceiving her. Her elder sister’s voice surely hadn’t been _flirtatious_ there, had it? She was practically _singsongy._

The door tepidly opened. Winter scooted over, and a woman pulled a chair into frame from offscreen, sitting next to her.

The mysterious ‘Robyn’ turned out to be a woman with tanned skin and very light platinum blond hair, the back section pulled into a breezy ponytail. Her violet eyes reminded Weiss of Yang, though this woman’s eyes were a bit of a darker shade. By Weiss’ estimate, she appeared to be a little bit taller than Winter, and by all accounts, she was also _gorgeous._

“Weiss…” Winter began. Robyn gave her a sly smile. Winter rolled her eyes, and finally just said it.

“This is my girlfriend, Robyn Hill.”

Weiss was _very_ proud that she managed to keep her jaw off the floor.

“It’s nice to meet you, Weiss,” Robyn said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Th-thank you,” Weiss stuttered. “I’ll admit, I’m… a little surprised.”

Winter raised an eyebrow.

“I just… I didn’t know _you_ were attracted to women,” Weiss said, making sure to use her tone to imply that she was too. She’d never discussed this with her sister, and wanted to ensure that nobody had the impression that she’d inherited her father’s opinion on same-sex relationships.

“Please,” Winter scoffed. “The gender of my partners has never been of much concern to me.”

Robyn leaned into the camera in a stage whisper, putting her hand beside her mouth, as if she were trying to hide her speech from Winter. “What she’s _trying_ to say,” Robyn said dryly, “is that she’s a raging pansexual.”

Winter gave her a haughty glare, but Robyn just laughed it off. Her laugh was so _bright,_ so _warm,_ and when she just casually put her arm around Winter’s shoulders to cheer her up, it almost immediately worked.

Looking at the two of them, from what little she’d seen of Robyn, something seemed to click for Weiss. Robyn was warm, charming, funny - Winter’s exact opposite in many ways. However, their energy played off of each other quite well, and Weiss was absolutely amazed to see her sister tease Robyn back. Most impressively, Robyn had managed to call Winter “Snowflake” and retain all of her body parts, which definitely meant that Winter cared for her a very great deal.

It appeared that Schnee women had a type.

“So, what were you two girls talking about?” Robyn asked. Both of them rolled their eyes, and replied, “Father,” in almost perfect unison. Robyn’s eyes just went wide for a moment, until she _immediately_ burst into laughter.

Weiss’ cheeks turned red, and Winter just looked away in embarrassment.

“Sorry,” Robyn managed. “I know that he’s a sensitive topic, but…” she laughed again. “You two _really_ are sisters, huh, Snowflake?”

“Astute observation,” Winter glowered. Ignoring her giggling girlfriend for a moment, she continued. “Weiss,” she said. “You were talking about Father’s visit.”

“Y-yes,” Weiss said nervously. Apparently Winter had changed her mind about hearing this story - maybe Robyn’s presence was helpful in that regard. “He never properly informed me of our dinner reservation, and then called me four times just fifteen minutes before that reservation was supposed to occur.”

“And you ignored him?” Winter asked, impressed.

“I didn’t even know he was calling,” Weiss clarified. “He then _showed up_ at my room when Ruby and I were on our way back home, and…” Robyn was confused. “Ruby is my roommate,” Weiss added, which made her give a soft ‘ah’ of understanding.

“So, Ruby, her father, her sister, and her sister’s girlfriend and I were almost back to campus when he stopped us, and _insisted_ that I return to his hotel with him.”

Winter’s eyes flashed ever so slightly with more emotion than usual. Even Robyn’s brow furrowed a little bit. Weiss decided to test if they _really_ knew.

“Anyways,” Weiss said, falsely brightening her tone. “How long have you two been together?”

“Coming up on three years,” Robyn replied, businesslike. She met Winter’s eyes, getting a little nod. “What happened when he took you back to his hotel?”

“Oh,” Weiss said, as if she’d forgotten. “He was so insistent that I accompany him to this business meeting, late at night, and -”

“Did he explain _why?”_ Winter asked, tense.

“No,” Weiss breezed. “Something about ‘embarrassing the family,’ but I refused.”

“And he just… let you walk away?” Robyn asked, confused.

“Not exactly,” Weiss admitted. “He _grabbed_ me, so I sort of… punched him? And then I left the hotel.” Idly, Weiss realized that that was _quite_ the understatement. She looked over at Ruby, who was still drawing. Weiss didn’t want to bother her, but she also figured that Ruby should probably be involved in this conversation if it went where she expected it to.

“But you aren’t hurt?” Winter asked, now dropping most of their cordial atmosphere. 

“Why would I be?” Weiss asked. She _hated_ playing games like this with Winter, but she had to be sure.

“It’s… complicated,” she finally said. She and Robyn appeared to have a silent conversation with their eyes. Weiss tried a slightly different approach.

“Winter, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Weiss said. “I know you have no love for Father, and neither do I, but… was it something specific, that made you leave? Did he… hurt you?”

Winter finally sighed, and Robyn shrugged. “Tell her,” Robyn whispered. “She deserves to know.”

Weiss leaned over and nudged Ruby with her foot. She silently removed her headphones, tilting her head in confusion.

“Weiss,” Winter began. “What I’m about to tell you is going to sound utterly ridiculous, but… I _promise,_ I’m being completely serious. I wanted to keep you out of this, but it appears that our bastard of a father isn’t giving me much choice.”

Weiss shoulders sagged in relief. She knew what was coming next, and she figured that she should come clean about her own knowledge.  
“I’m pretty sure I know what you’re going to say,” Weiss said. 

Winter’s raised eyebrow had more suspicion than a true crime podcast.  
“You’re going to tell me that our father is a vampire,” Weiss said plainly. “And… if I’m right, you’re going to tell me that he made _you_ a vampire, too.”

Both Winter and Robyn’s jaws hung open. The sharp pair of incisors that were now visible in Winter’s mouth confirmed Weiss’ latter claim.

“How did you…” Robyn began. Weiss closed her eyes, concentrating on her head. The liquid, flowing sensation returned to Weiss’ head, and when her eyes opened once more, she felt her ears twitch upon being revealed to the world.

Weiss looked over at Ruby, who had now begun paying close enough attention to the conversation that she’d noticed Weiss letting her ears out as well. Weiss scooted over, making space for Ruby to sit next to her.

“Well… Father seems to wish to Turn me into a vampire,” Weiss said. Ruby scooted into frame, with her own ears out as well. “So Ruby helped me become a werewolf, instead.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed on Ruby.

“Tell me everything.”  
  


* * *

  
  


“That’s a helluva story,” Robyn said. She met Ruby’s eyes. “Seven vampires, huh, Pipsqueak?”

“Um… a friend of my dad’s said that they were probably really young,” Ruby said. “But… yeah.”

Winter was quiet.

“Still, damn,” Robyn said. “Not bad.” Ruby flushed.

“When is the next moon?” Winter asked.

“Two and a half weeks,” Weiss said. “We’re… trying to figure out as much as we can until then,”

Winter just gave a very pensive nod. “I… I hope that you know what you’re doing, Weiss.” 

Weiss just nodded. “Me too.”

“Our other roommates,” Robyn began, “Fiona, May, and Joanna - they’re all wolves, too. Fiona was Turned.”

“How… how was _her_ first moon?” Ruby asked.

“She doesn’t really talk about it,” Robyn said. “But… she made it, if nothing else.”

Weiss tried very hard to find this reassuring.

“So, what’s _your_ story, Winter?” Weiss asked. “Father… he made you a vampire, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” Winter said. “How did you…”

“Your teeth, hun,” Robyn said tenderly. Winter’s hand went to her mouth, her finger lightly brushing against one of her enlarged incisors. Robyn just quietly handed Winter the drink that she’d left on the corner of her desk. Weiss had completely forgotten about it.

Winter removed the top of the soda cup with her hand, choosing to forgo the straw entirely and taking a _long_ swig of whatever was in the cup. Judging by the slight red staining on Winter’s lips before she wiped her mouth… Weiss had a pretty good idea.

When she was finished, Winter’s fangs had vanished completely, and she was once more indistinguishable from a normal human.

“Apologies,” Winter said. “It has been a rather tiring day - I must not have realized how long it had been since my last drink.”

To Weiss and Ruby’s confused expressions, Robyn explained: “You wolves can let your ears and tails out, we vamps can show our teeth - though they’ll occasionally come out when we’re hungry, or if we can smell blood.”

“... ‘We?’” Ruby asked.

“I’m a _bit_ of a special case,” Robyn admitted. She gave them a rather fang-y grin all the same, and for a moment, her teeth were just as large as Winter’s had been. “But… yes.”

“How much time do you two have?” Winter asked. “Our story is rather… long.” Weiss looked over at Ruby, who had interrupted her homework for this. Silently, she went up to get her tablet and pen, turning her laptop screen to face Weiss. She sat back down, angling her chair to face her own desk, but staying in the frame.

“I still have some drawing to do,” Ruby explained. “But I promise, I’m still listening. I don’t mean any disrespect.”

“She’s a studio art major,” Weiss explained to Winter’s raised eyebrow.

“I see,” Winter said simply. She appeared to appreciate Ruby’s explanation. “Well, settle in then. We’re going to be here a while.”

* * *

“Around three and a half years ago, Father introduced me to a man named Arthur Watts,” Winter began. “Over my winter break from Atlas U, we were… acquainted rather quickly. I was told that he was an important associate of Father’s, and someone that I would need to become better-acquainted with as the heiress of the company.” Weiss’ brow furrowed at this - Winter’s status as heiress had been transferred to Weiss only a year later, once her sister had cut off all contact from their father. Weiss briefly wondered if the title had already fallen to Whitley by now.

“The three of us would often spend nights in Father’s office,” Winter said. “He always insisted that I drink with them. At first, I thought it was the alcohol that was tiring me out, but…”

“Vampire blood?” Weiss asked hesitantly. 

“It was heavily diluted by the alcohol it was served with,” Winter said. “So it didn’t _completely_ knock me out, like it normally does for humans.” She looked at the floor for a moment, appearing to gather her resolve. “This went on for maybe a week, and one night, Father turned in early.” She let out an angry, frustrated sigh. “Leaving me alone with… _him.”_ Robyn put a small, delicate hand on Winter’s shoulder before she continued.

“Soon after he was gone, Arthur suggested that we head somewhere a bit more ‘casual’ than Father’s office. Upon my hesitation, he insisted, and before I knew it, he shoved me onto the desk and his fangs were in my throat.” She undid her tie as she spoke, unbuttoning the top button of her shirt. She tilted her head slightly so that Weiss could see, and sure enough, there were two small pinprick scars there on her neck, just above her collarbone. Shakily, she continued.

“I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. When I started to lose consciousness from the bite, he drew blood from his own wrist and shoved it down my throat.” Robyn had gently moved to wrap her arm around Winter completely at this point, though Winter had not even slightly adjusted to her embrace - she was so caught up in her memories that she may not have even noticed.

“Then, the next morning… I awoke in bed, perfectly safe. It all felt like a strange nightmare. The marks on my neck were gone - I had no proof of anything, and the memories were foggy at best.” She sighed.

“It was like that every night for a week, until one evening, instead of waking in my bed…” she shivered. “I woke up underground, with the two of them staring down at me, shovels in hand. The scars were permanent by then.” She let out a bitter, utterly mirthless laugh. “Digging me up that night is probably the closest Father has ever come to honest labor in his entire life.”

“May I… ask something?” Ruby said, her voice barely a squeak. “I’m sorry, that all sounds so awful, but… Weiss…” Weiss turned to meet her eyes. “Where were you during all this?”

“I had dozens of recitals that winter,” Weiss said. “Father said that he’d decided to brighten up the home with some ‘holiday cheer,’ and forced me onto an extremely tight performance schedule for his corporate friends and customers. Two shows a day and rehearsal...I barely had time for sleep.” She shook her head. “I thought I was being used for a PR stunt, and I suppose I still was, but…” Winter nodded gravely.

“He was keeping you from finding out,” she said. “From talking to me.”

“Oh…” Ruby said quietly. “I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“That’s all right,” Winter said. “Arthur was originally supposed to stay for longer, to ‘train’ me, but one night he just disappeared. Father said that he’d had some very important business, and expected me to obey him instead, even after what he had let that man _do_ to me. Only two nights after Arthur was gone, he ordered me to attack one of his rivals on his way home from one of Weiss’ recitals.”

“I told him no, and he reached back to strike me. He’d been starving me of blood in hopes that I’d comply, just for the chance to drink. I… I was still weak, but… I remembered how powerless I felt the moment that Arthur bit down on me the first time.” She took a shuddering breath. “I… I caught his hand in my fangs, and I was just so _thirsty_ that I couldn’t even stop drinking until he was unconscious. I found the spare blood that Arthur had left Father to bribe me with, packed a bag, and was gone before morning.” The energy left Winter as she finally finished her tale, and she slumped into Robyn’s waiting arms.

“H-How did you end up drinking from him?” Ruby asked, softly. “Wasn’t he a vampire, too?”

“No,” Robyn answered. “We don’t know exactly when he got Turned, or who did it, but… Winter was first. She was the guinea pig.”

Ruby put her hand on Weiss’ shoulder, and she didn’t even notice that she’d been letting out a low growl of anger until then. She almost apologized, but the understanding sadness in Ruby’s eyes told her that there was no need. She just nodded, trying to compose herself.

“I… I just wish that there were something I could have _done,”_ Weiss said slowly. “I knew he kept us separated for a reason, but… why didn’t you call?”

“What was I supposed to tell you?” Winter asked with a pained laugh. “‘Help, our sadistic father has made me a vampire and I had to escape him?’ He controlled all of _your_ life, then, too.” Softer, she added, “I just wanted to get away.”

“Want me to finish the story?” Robyn asked gently. Winter nodded. Robyn kept her arms around Winter, but her eyes went back to Weiss and Ruby, the latter of whom no longer found any point in trying to draw.

“One night around the northern blocks of Mantle, I smelled some blood out of nowhere,” Robyn says. “It’s wasn’t _fresh,_ but it was nowhere one second and overpowering the next. I followed my nose and came upon an alley with a starved-looking vampire huddled over an uncorked vial of blood, just staring at it…”

* * *

“Back off!” Winter said. “I’m not one for sharing.”

“No need,” Robyn said, innocently raising her hands. “I’m not thirsty. I just wanted to see who was opening some saved blood in a place like this.”

“Nobody,” Winter replied.

“Sweetheart, you don’t look like a nobody to me,” Robyn replied. Winter’s shoulders sagged.

“So you know who I am, then?” Winter asked, defeated.

“Never seen you before in my life.” Robyn said honestly. “But I don’t believe that anybody is _really_ a nobody.” 

Winter scoffed.

“I’d like to be.”

Robyn gently knelt down to Winter’s level, still not coming any closer. 

“I don’t think you mean that,” Robyn said. “You look like you just got done being _somebody,_ but sooner or later you’re gonna have to be somebody new.”

“I didn’t expect to meet a philosopher tonight,” Winter said. It was only the ghost of a joke, the way she told it.

“You’d be surprised by the kind of vampires you meet when you uncork some saved blood in an alley,” Robyn said. She slowly turned to the side, sitting against the alley wall. “So are you gonna drink that, or just keep staring at it?”

“None of your business,” Winter said.

“Fair enough,” Robyn said with a shrug of her shoulders. She paused, hoping that her casual language and posture were conveying that she meant no threat.

“So what’s your story?” Winter stared at her, causing her to raise her hands once more. “Not many vampires are on the run with fancy airtight vials of blood like that one you’ve got,” Robyn elaborated. “Did you steal that from a count or something?”

Winter’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me that any vampires are _actually_ counts.”

Robyn laughed. “I wouldn’t know any. It’s just a little vampiric humor.” She checked her watch - it was almost five in the morning. “You got a place to spend the morning, O Vampire of the Alleyway?”

“What’s it to you?” Winter asked, her eyes hard. Robyn shrugged.

“Well, I’m just getting to know you - I hope you don’t end up turning to ash in thirty minutes or so.” Winter checked a scroll in her bag, making a frustrated growl when she confirmed the time. 

“Dammit,” she muttered. She looked over at Robyn, still casually leaning against the wall without a care in the world. “If the sun’s coming so soon, don’t _you_ have somewhere else to be?”

“Not really,” Robyn said. “It doesn’t bother me too much.” Winter just raised an eyebrow at this - she was _clearly_ a vampire herself, if she could smell Winter’s blood vial from so far off.

“But,” Robyn continued, “If you need a place to crash, I’m sure my roommates wouldn’t mind. I’m the only nocturnal one, anyways.” Winter stayed guarded.

“That’s kind,” she said, her tone indicating that she thought no such thing, “But I’ll have to pass.”

“Suit yourself,” Robyn said, slowly getting up. “But you’ll burn if you don’t find _somewhere_ to go.” She stretched for a moment. “Offer still stands, if you’re interested.” She reached into a pocket, causing Winter to flinch. Robyn’s movements immediately slowed, and she raised one hand up innocently, very slowly removing a scroll of her own.

“That scroll of yours got a number? I can text you the address.” She wiggled the scroll in her hands to emphasize the point.

“I _said_ that I’ll pass,” Winter replied, a bit more forcefully. She’d closed up her bag, apparently ready to leave. The vial still stayed open in her hand.

“Fine,” Robyn said, putting the scroll away. “Take care of yourself today. If you ever change your mind, my name is Robyn Hill. Most other vamps know me - if you ask around, you’ll be able to find me that way.” She snickered, dropping a scrap of paper out of her sleeve. It gently fluttered to the ground near Winter, and it was obvious that it had a phone number on it. “Or, you could just call.”

Winter looked her up and down, regarding her. Finally, she remembered the vial in her hand, and apparently decided to down it all in one greedy swig. She let the empty glass break on the ground of the alley, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She picked up the paper scrap, shoving it in a pocket.

“Just for today.”

  
  


Robyn keyed open the door to her apartment just as the sun began to crest over the horizon. Winter darted inside, just before she began to sizzle in the cold December morning. Robyn lingered for a moment, checking the alleyways to see if they’d been followed. Winter stared at her with amazement as the dawn began to harmlessly light upon her face before she went inside.

“You weren’t kidding about the sun,” Winter said. “How?”

“I’m a daywalker, darlin’,” Robyn cooed. Winter’s eyes narrowed at that, and Robyn couldn’t tell if it was the term she’d used or the pet name she’d given. She shrugged, explaining the former.

“Mommy was a vamp, Daddy was a human, and they just couldn’t wait to Turn him before doing the nasty,” Robyn said. “Nine months pass, Daddy’s been sucked dry, and out pops a dirty little daywalker.”

“I still don’t understand what that word _means,”_ Winter pressed. Robyn laughed.

“I’ll give you one guess.” Winter just crossed her arms, immobile. Robyn sighed. “It means I’m only half-vampire. Not as strong as purebloods, and I’ll die of old age eventually - but I can walk outside most times of day and not burn to death.”

Winter stared at the ground. “That sounds like quite a luxury.”

“It has its upsides.” She walked past Winter, into a modest kitchen. “You want anything?”

Winter scoffed - it appeared to be a habit of hers. “You just saw me drink the last of my blood vials. It should last me another day or so.”

“I wasn’t talking about blood, Sweetheart,” Robyn said, poking her head above the door to the refrigerator. She held up a cup of ramen noodles. “Just because it doesn’t stave off starvation doesn’t mean that it won’t taste good.”

Winter stared at the cup - she hadn’t had any human food in weeks. She hadn’t thought about doing it ever again - why bother?

“Tell you what,” Robyn said. “I’ll heat one up for me, and if you want one too, it’s yours.” 

Winter stood stock-still in the apartment’s threshold, still quite wary of everything. 

“You can put that bag of yours down by the entrance, if you like,” Robyn said. 

“I’d prefer to keep it on me,” Winter replied.

“Nobody’s gonna take it from you, Sweetheart,” Robyn said as she turned on the microwave. “But if it makes you feel any better, you can hold onto it.”

“Stop calling me that,” Winter finally said.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Robyn said. Winter’s eyebrows raised at the honesty in her voice. “I didn’t know what else to call you.” The microwave beeped, and she removed her noodles, sitting down at a small table in the kitchen. She gestured to the seat across from her - she’d gone out of her way to give Winter the one closest to the door. Winter finally sighed, apparently letting go of a large amount of her apprehension, as she finally pulled the chair out.

“It’s Winter.”

  
  


Winter greedily slurped up the noodles the moment they were out of the microwave.

“Careful, it’s hot,” Robyn warned. Her words had no effect on the vampire, though she did take a quick sip of water immediately afterwards.

“So, Winter,” Robyn said. “What’s your story?” Winter let out a laugh.

“How much time do you have?” Robyn checked her watch.

“How long did you plan on staying around Mantle?”

“Less than a week.” Robyn raised an eyebrow.

“Got somewhere to be after the holidays?” Winter looked at the wall, remorseful.

“I hope I still do.”

  
  
  


“So, lemme get this straight,” Robyn said. “Your sire just leaves outta nowhere, and you take a bite out of your old man -” Winter gave her a deadly gaze, and Robyn capitulated. “I’m not judgin’, I would’ve done the same thing in your shoes. But, after all that, you’re gonna waltz back into college like nothing happened?”

“I don’t have much choice,” Winter said. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to get a job as a twenty-year-old vampire with no work experience. I don’t think I’m going to _graduate_ or anything, but the room and board will give me some time to figure things out.”

“Your old man paid for school?” Robyn asked.

“Of course he did.”

“Think he’s gonna keep doing that?”

“I know he won’t.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I’ll take out a loan, pick up a job on campus. Something.”

“Right.” Winter dropped her fork in frustration at that.

“Fine! I don’t have it all figured out yet, okay?” She stopped, as Robyn was clearly put off by her outburst. She put her head in her hands. “I just… I can’t go back there.”

Slowly, Robyn reached out a hand, gently laying it on Winter’s elbow. Instinctively, she twitched away, and Robyn pulled back, out of respect. Winter met her eyes and hesitantly moved her elbow back, letting Robyn’s fingers rest there once more.

“I wasn’t saying that you had to have it all figured out,” Robyn offered gently.

Before she could say anything more, a sleep-addled voice came around the corner to the kitchen.

“Ugh, Robyn - it’s like six in the morning…” Winter looked up immediately, swiping away Robyn’s hand. She stood, fangs bared, letting out a threatening, primal hiss.

The blue-haired woman yelped, a pair of wolfish ears and a tail appearing on her form. She, too, bore a pair of fangs back at Winter for a moment, but soon settled when Robyn stood up between them, arms out to prevent a fight.

“Hey, hey,” she said in Winter’s direction, as the violence in her eyes slowly began to fade. Her fangs didn’t disappear, though. “This is May - she’s one of my roommates.”

“Taking in strays again?” May asked. Her own fangs were now gone, but her ears and tail remained. She shrugged. “Fiona’s cuter.”

“What the hell are you?” Winter asked.

“New vamp, huh?” May asked slyly.

Robyn gave her a look, as if to say, ‘not helping,’ and then explained. “May here is a werewolf. So are Joanna and Fiona, my other two roommates, who I _hope_ are heavier sleepers.”

“I’ll go tell them, if they’re up yet,” May said. She gave Winter a nod, and then turned and left the room.

Winter shook her head as soon as May was gone, upset with herself. 

“It’s been one week since I left home and I’m already jumping at anything that moves,” she said, mostly to herself. 

“It’s all right,” Robyn said gently. She coaxed Winter back to her seat.

“Werewolves too, huh?” Winter asked tiredly as she sat back down. Robyn laughed.

“I’m afraid we vampires aren’t the only things that go ‘bump’ in the night.” She sat down again, more serious. “Where did you say you went to college, again?”

“Atlas University.” Robyn immediately began to laugh, causing Winter to raise an eyebrow. 

“What’s so funny?” She asked. “I _told_ you who my father is - did you really think he’d send me anywhere else?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Robyn said. “I just can’t believe your luck.” Winter cocked her head - right now, she felt _anything_ but lucky. It was fortunate that she’d apparently found a place to stay, but that was a very small uptick in what had so far been a hopeless downward spiral. Robyn had finally stopped laughing long enough to answer.

“We all go there, too.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


“So, from there,” Winter told the two of them, mostly recovered from reliving the ugliest part of her story, “I took out a loan, kept studying at the university, and after graduation, we all started renting out this place together.”

“You didn’t move in right away?” Weiss asked.

“Our old apartment was cramped,” Robyn explained. “May, Joanna, and Fiona all shared a bed…”

“Not that it was much of a _problem_ for them,” Winter said, sipping on the dregs of her cup.

“True, but they were sharing a _full_ back then,” Robyn said. “Now they’ve actually got a king, _and_ it doesn’t touch three out of four walls of their room.”

“Besides, I wanted my space,” Winter said. “At least at first.”

“So… you really are only half vampire?” Ruby asked Robyn. “I didn’t know that was possible.” 

“Sure is,” Robyn said. “Check it out.” She stood up and pulled the blinds up from a nearby window, letting the last light of the evening play over her hand, to no ill effect. Weiss knew it was impressive given the circumstances, but out of context, it was the most mundane action she’d ever seen.

“Winter!” Weiss said, as a sunbeam made its way onto her bare cheek. “Be careful!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Winter said. She looked at Robyn with a smile. “The sun doesn’t bother me as much as it used to.”

“Okay, I’m confused again,” Ruby said. 

“Vampires get the traits we do from our sires,” Robyn said. “Or, I guess, in my case, from my mom. Either way, it’s a pretty literal thing - the more vampiric blood you have in you, the more of a vampire you are.”

“That’s part of why vampiric sires can enact some level of control over their spawn,” Winter said. “Those vampires are _literally_ their blood.”

“However,” Robyn said, pulling her collar aside, “That kind of bond can be weakened, if a vampire feeds from another vampire.” She revealed a set of pinpricks on her own neck, mostly healed.

“Every time I feed from Robyn, I get a bit better at dealing with the sun. A bit less like Arthur, and a bit more like her.”

“That’s… honestly kind of romantic,” Ruby said. All three pairs of eyes landed on her, and she flushed. “What?” I think it is!”

“I suppose so,” Winter said, giving Robyn a rare, full-fledged smile. Robyn simply returned it with a wink.

They fell into a pause for a moment, and Weiss decided to broach the question that was still on her mind. “What happened with Father?” She asked. “Did he ever… come for you?”

“Not as such,” Winter admitted. “He sent me messages at first - I ignored them all, of course, but he told me that _he_ was Turned now, and he felt ‘so sorry’ for the way he’d treated me before.” Weiss scoffed.

“Pretty much. The closest things ever got was that Arthur called me once.” Weiss cocked her head. “The bastard must be good with computers, because he forced my scroll to answer. It was a video call, and he _commanded_ me to return to the manor.”

Weiss gasped.

“Unfortunately for him,” Winter said, “I’d been feeding from Robyn for weeks by then, and while I felt a little pull at first, I hated him enough that I told him to fuck off and threw my scroll into the river. Fortunately, I’d given Robyn your number, just in case.”

“And… you haven’t heard anything since?” Weiss asked.

“No,” Winter said. “I figured that he’d given up. I feel so stupid now - I should have told you about all of this then. I didn’t think he’d just move down to you…”

“It’s okay,” Weiss said gently. She gave Ruby a wan smile. “I think I got a pretty good deal anyways.” She turned back to Winter. “But we should at least try reaching out to Whitley.”

Winter gave her a nod, though she wasn’t happy about it. Whitley had never been close with either of them, but he and Winter barely interacted unless forced.

“Let’s hope we can get somewhere with him,” Winter said. It was clear that she was also still anxious about the upcoming moon. Her hard expression didn’t last, though, and she offered Weiss a soft smile. “Still… it was good to finally share this piece of my life with you.”

Robyn nodded at that. “If you two are ever around Mantle, make sure to drop by. You’re free to crash on our couch.”

“Please visit if you ever find yourselves in Vale,” Weiss said. “Our room is a bit too small for you to stay overnight, but…”

Winter laughed. “I’m sure we’d figure it out.” Her eyes landed on Ruby, finally addressing her directly. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for protecting Weiss - and while I don’t necessarily _condone_ your rather reckless Turning of my sister… I hope that it turns out for the better.” Ruby gave a weak grin, very clearly intimidated by Winter.

“All righty, it’s getting late,” Robyn said. “Take care, you two. Let us know if anything happens.”

“We will,” Weiss promised. She hung up the call.

“So,” Ruby said. “Your sister is nice!” Weiss just let out a chuckle.

“Ready to help me practice?” She asked.

“Oh! Yeah!” Ruby said. She moved over to her desk, taking her scroll into her hand. “Okay…” she began, navigating to a stopwatch application. “Tail out… now!”

* * *

After around four days of fitting in whatever practice she could, Weiss was getting faster with her tail - it only took her around two minutes to let out, with no assistance. She still didn’t think she could get into her wolf without Blake’s help, but that’s what the coming weekend was for. As she headed into the shower, Weiss noticed a message from Winter.

_Don’t think I didn’t catch what you said about liking girls._

_For the record, I must admit that she’s rather cute._

_Robyn thinks so too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for reading!
> 
> If you haven't seen the previous chapter's notes after they were edited, this fic has now surpassed 500 kudos, and I'm putting out not one but TWO bonus chapters to celebrate! The clear winner of the Strawpoll was WhiteRose dorm room fluff, but Snowbyrd domestic fluff came in second, and because I have a great idea for that anyways, I decided that I'm just going to write them both! I hope that more readers will be invested in them, now that they've been properly introduced in this universe. Regardless, the bonus chapters be next after this chapter, so I apologize that folks will have to wait a bit longer than usual for Chapter 13, but I hope that the bonus chapters will help tide you over until then.  
> That's pretty much everything from me - thank you all so much, again, for reading, and I look forward to your thoughts on the bonus chapters! I'll put them in a series with this fic, so Chapter 13 will still come immediately after this one, when it's finally written.
> 
> -Red


	13. Hunters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things: First of all, this is the new longest chapter. I *really* need to learn how to pace myself, but I doubt that that'll ever actually happen.  
> Secondly, this chapter leans a bit more into some heavier themes. Early on, there's a bit of discussion of what is implied to have been an abusive relationship (his name starts with "A") and then one of our characters gets pretty in-depth about feeling inherently predatory as a gay woman. That second discussion in particular ends on a happier note, but it does get pretty rough before it gets there. If these kinds of themes are going to make you upset or even trigger you, then *please* proceed with caution.
> 
> -Red

“Think you’re ready for tonight?” Ruby asked.

Weiss blinked, she’d been spacing out while watching the trees rolled past her window.

“I think so,” Weiss said, trying to hide her nervousness. “I just… you’re  _ sure _ that the woods will be private?”

“Yup!” Ruby said with a nod.

“We’re pretty much the only weres in Patch,” Tai explained from behind the wheel. “Wolves are pretty territorial, and the same is  _ generally _ true for weres of all kinds. There’s only so much that folks can do in cities like Vale, but I can’t say that I’ve seen anybody else out here in…” he paused, and Weiss saw his arm move in a way that indicated he was scratching at his chin. “Oh, ten years or so? Sometimes Qrow will visit for a moon, but that’s really it.”

Weiss just hummed at that, thoughtful.

“Besides, it’s not even a full moon tonight!” Ruby said. “So don’t worry too much about that.”

“What about Beacon?” Weiss asked. “I mean, unless we want to come out here every time… we’ll start seeing other weres there too, right?”

“I’m not a taxi service,” Tai noted. “That said, if you kids wanna pay for gas, I’d happily come by. The whole ‘empty nester’ thing is starting to hit me a little bit.”

Weiss was utterly shocked that he hadn’t concocted a pun about wolf dens or packs, but she figured that it was best not to mention it, for fear of giving him inspiration in the future.

“There are sometimes other weres at Beacon, I’d figure,” Ruby said. “I mean, I’ve only had the one moon, and I was with Blake and Yang, but there were a few new songs that I heard that night.”

“‘Songs?’” Weiss asked. 

“Howls,” Tai explained. “Here, this can be your werewolf vocab lesson for the day - wolves refer to it as ‘singing,’ because that’s honestly what it feels like when we do it.” He shrugged. “Not sure if normal wolves see it that way, but even their howls sound pretty melodious, so I guess it fits.” Weiss knew that Tai was a werewolf, but she also knew that he was a high school English teacher, and apparently that came first.

“And I assume that only werewolves do the singing?” Weiss asked.

“Pretty much,” Ruby said. She let out a soft chuckle. “When Yang and I did it during my first moon at Beacon, Blake looked at us like we were a couple of idiots.”

Weiss smiled at that image. 

“You two  _ are _ some of my closest friends, but I’m inclined to agree with Blake on that one,” Weiss said. 

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Tai said, turning left onto the long county road that would eventually dead-end at their cul-de-sac. “You can mock it now, but you’ll probably be  _ singing a different tune _ when you’re out and ready to hunt.”

Weiss groaned loudly, but Tai’s self-satisfied smile took up almost all of his reflection in the rear-view mirror. Ruby burst into a fit of giggles.

“Will you be coming with us?” Weiss asked tentatively. She didn’t expect there to be any actual  _ danger _ or anything, and she felt quite safe with Ruby around, not to mention Blake and Yang. Still, she remembered Tai’s confidence facing down her father during Parents and Family Weekend, and she certainly wouldn’t mind having that confidence around during tonight.

Just in case something happened.

“‘Fraid not,” Tai said. “My sophomores just turned in their first big essay this year, and I wanna get a head start on grading.” He laughed. “Besides, I can tell that I’m not welcome during girls’ night.”

“Aw, c’mon, Dad!” Ruby said. “You used to  _ love _ girls’ night! Remember the tiara?”

Weiss realized that Ruby and Yang, two rambunctious girls, had grown up with a single father, and a few images of what “girls’ night” likely entailed flashed into her mind. For Tai’s dignity, she attempted not to laugh.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” Tai lied.

“Remind me to show you some pictures later,” Ruby whispered.

“I’ll turn this car around if I have to,” Tai said, though his threat was far from serious.

“Girls’ night  _ does _ sound fun,” Weiss added. “I haven’t had a manicure since I got here from Atlas.”

Tai laughed. “I believe Ruby tried a manicure… once? Maybe twice?”

“I can’t just  _ not grab stuff _ for that long!!!” Ruby complained.

Tai quickly took the opportunity to gain ground in the war of teasing. “She thought it’d be easier if Yang did it,” Tai explained snidely. “I had to ban nail polish from the house for a whole month.” 

Ruby threw her arms up, bumping them on the car’s ceiling.

“I said I was sorry about that!”

* * *

“Hey, guys,” Yang said, walking Bumblebee into Tai’s shed. Blake followed, to hang up her helmet. 

“You two ready for tonight?” Blake added. The question was aimed at both of them, but Weiss knew it was primarily meant for her.

“Yes,” she said. “Ruby’s mostly told me everything - we’re still eating before, right?”

“Of course,” Yang confirmed. “Dad didn’t really get any meat last time he went grocery shopping, though, so we were gonna order delivery. Is a cheeseburger okay?”

Weiss was impressed by her memory. “Yes, that honestly sounds lovely.” Her brow furrowed. “Is there a particular reason that we should be eating meat?”

Blake shrugged. “I mean, we  _ are _ carnivores, in the technical sense. It’s the same stomach and all, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wolf go for something like salad or pasta.”

“Oh, the videos I could show you,” Tai said fondly. Ruby and Yang both gave him death glares, but he continued unperturbed, speaking to Weiss and Blake. “Several family dinners were had on the floor, so they didn’t have to shift back in-between playtimes.”

Weiss looked at Ruby, her eyebrows somewhere above the clouds.

“I was, like, eleven,” she muttered under her breath.

  
  


The sun lazily drifted towards the horizon as Yang gave a generous tip to the man on the porch. “Thanks!” She called after him, bumping the door closed with her hip. She carried a large bag into the kitchen, placing it in the center of the table.

“All right, ladies,” she said. “A bit of processed food before we take the more direct approach tonight.” She and Ruby tapped their burgers together before chowing down. Blake took her time with her tuna sandwich.

“So… you guys really  _ do _ go hunting for food and call that a meal, huh?” Weiss asked. She flushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound  _ rude _ or anything, I just… I guess I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

“S’okay,” Ruby said through her mouthful. She swallowed. “I mean,  _ we _ don’t really go out and do it except on the full moon,” she gestured to herself, Yang, and Tai, who was still finishing up his own dinner at the stove. “But, we could if we really wanted to. It’s, like… safe, and all that.”

“We try not to overhunt,” Yang added. “These woods aren’t  _ really _ accustomed to apex predators, so we try not to, like… destroy the ecosystem.” She shrugged. “A deer or two, maybe some rabbits, though… that’ll probably be fine.”

Weiss nodded tentatively.

“How about you, Blake?” She asked. “Does your family ever go hunting instead of eating human food?”

Blake was quiet for a moment, her ears flat against her head. Yang’s eyes flicked over to her with concern. Weiss tensed - she hadn’t meant to hit a sensitive topic. 

“I - I’m sorry,” she said, her instinct to apologize showing itself instantly. “Never mind.”

“No, it’s okay,” Blake said. She took a little breath in preparation. “I guess, the short answer is ‘I used to.’ But I sorta stopped doing that, after…”

Silently, Yang’s hand was laid across the table, offering itself to Blake. She blinked herself out of her reverie for a moment, giving a smile. She reached out to squeeze it, then returned to her meal with an assuring nod. Yang lingered for a moment, then withdrew.

“Before Beacon, I was sort of a nature-bound were,” she said. “As in, I spent probably just as much, maybe  _ more _ time in my panther than I did in human form.”

“Oh,” Weiss said quietly. She hadn’t realized that that was a possibility for a were’s lifestyle. “May I ask what changed?”

“It’s… complicated,” she said. “It’s a bit of a long story, but… my mom and dad used to be in this group of weres with me. Panthers don’t really have ‘packs,’ like wolves do, and there were other types of weres around. We called ourselves the White Fang.” She took a bite, her eyes in a far-off place. “Back in Menagerie, enough of the region was still relatively unpopulated forest that a lot of weres chose to live in, instead of fully integrating with human society. We saw ourselves as different enough that we wanted to live apart, left alone.” She sighed. “That’s where it  _ started, _ at least.”

“... But?” Ruby prompted. Weiss looked over to find that Ruby was just as interested as she was.

“Well, the world kept moving around us,” Blake said. “And eventually, logging companies started trying to explore the forest, to see if it was a potential site for them to operate. We’d generally managed a peaceful relationship with humans before then - campers, hikers, even lumberjacks and stuff. The logging companies weren’t successful right away - our forest was so dense that it felt like a jungle.” She sighed. “Eventually, though, they really started to get their footing. Before we knew it, the heavy machinery started to come in.”

“What did you do?” Weiss asked quietly. 

“Well, my parents started spending a lot more of their time in their human forms. My dad was contacting our senators, my mom started raising awareness about the logging company’s harm to the environment around the human settlements in Menagerie...” Her ears flattened against her head once more. “And I was right there, on the front lines, protesting the company itself.”

“So… what happened?” Ruby asked. “Were you forced out?”

Blake’s shoulders fell. “No,” she said. The word sounded good in theory, but Blake’s tone told another story. “The protests weren’t working - my dad was running for office, and it even looked like he was going to win, but… it wasn’t gonna be soon enough to stop them in time.” Yang’s hand extended itself again, and Blake took it, holding on this time. “So… some of the members who were still trying to live in the forest full-time started taking matters into their own hands.” She sighed. “And I was right there with them.”

“Blake, you… you don’t have to talk about him,” Yang said quietly. She looked over at Ruby and Weiss.

“He’s kinda essential to the story,” Blake said with a tepid shrug. She met Yang’s eyes. “Are  _ you _ okay with it?”

Weiss tried to make herself as small as possible. She felt like a horrible interloper in this tender moment between them. She looked over at Ruby, who appeared to feel the same. Tai had quietly left the room with his own meal. During the pause, Weiss could just barely hear the sounds of the TV. It seemed like he was trying to give them their space. Maybe he knew, maybe he’d left before this part - Weiss couldn’t tell.

“Yeah,” Yang said. Weiss noticed her scratch behind her right ear. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Blake nodded. She turned back to Weiss, reminding her that she had asked this question in the first place. 

“So, in the White Fang, we were all kind of a communal family, in a sense.” A phantom grin found its way to her face. “Honestly, when the four of us are together, I’m kinda reminded of the good parts of all that.” All three of them gave her a reassuring smile. “But,” she continued, “We were mostly from separate  _ biological _ families, and there were all different types of weres, so…  _ dating, _ if you can call it that, wasn’t uncommon.” She shrugged. “It’s how my parents met. Heck, I was basically  _ born _ into all of it. A lot of us were.”

“How… how  _ big _ was this group?” Weiss asked timidly. Blake shrugged.

“Couple hundred? Maybe a thousand, at its peak? We didn’t  _ all _ live and hunt together, obviously. There were dozens of little subgroups, but…” Weiss just shook her head, and she could tell Ruby was surprised, too. She was starting to understand that werecreatures were at least a  _ little _ common, but still…

“A-Anyways. My parents and I shifted around between subgroups when I was around thirteen, and that’s when I ended up meeting a wereox named Adam.”

“Were-fox?” Ruby asked.

“Were- _ ox,” _ Yang corrected. “He looks like a black bull.”

Before Weiss could fully process the fact that Yang had apparently met this person at some point, Blake continued.

“Adam was always a bit… aggressive, when he wanted to be.” She said. Weiss noticed that her posture was more withdrawn at this point, but she still held on to Yang. “It was honestly a little funny, because he ate plants instead of hunting, but I guess that made him all the more protective of the forest.” She shuddered, just the tiniest bit. “A-Anyways, one night, it was about to be a full moon, so we were all in our human forms, talking and making plans for the change. My parents weren’t around, by then. I didn’t know where they were spending their moons.”

She took a shuddering breath. “Adam…  _ suggested… _ that we attack the machines that the logging company was using. His reasoning was that all of us would be at our strongest, and that the humans needed their heavy equipment to bring down the trees. At first, he phrased it like our plan was to make it not worth their investment.”

“So… most of us agreed, and those who didn’t felt enough pressure to come anyways. We were only a subgroup of ten, maybe twelve, but…”

Weiss had seen what Ruby could do to seven vampires, young though they were. A group of twelve fully-grown werecreatures,  _ especially  _ those with a grudge…

“Did it… work?” Ruby asked.

“At first,” Blake said. “They didn’t chop down a single tree the next day. How could they, when their equipment had been turned into scrap metal? People called Adam a hero. But, eventually, they came back, and they brought things like guns. Trained hunters, poachers, even. They weren’t packing silver, obviously, so most of us weres were okay, but a lot of the regular forest animals…”

“Oh…” Weiss said. 

“Adam was  _ furious.”  _ Blake continued. “The whole thing devolved into this… this  _ war, _ between us and them. My parents and the weres who followed them were having trouble convincing people that our forest needed saving when it became abundantly clear that the creatures living in it were so hostile. I mean, from a human perspective, they hadn’t seen anything like it - these weren’t isolated attacks, they were coordinated. We destroyed machines, we left claw marks on their encampments. Sometimes, a few of the most dedicated members started killing hunters in self-defense.” Weiss put a hand over her mouth.

“The regular humans who lived in Menagerie thought we were a bunch of eco-terrorists, and honestly, they were  _ right! _ We weren’t ‘pretending’ to be the animals of the forest, like the papers said we were, but the logging company suddenly appeared a  _ lot _ more like victims. I didn’t see it that way until a bit later, of course. I was so caught up in Adam and his ‘righteous’ quest that I didn’t notice the real hurt that  _ we _ were doing to people just doing their jobs.”

Blake took a shuddering breath, apparently in preparation for this last little part of her tale. “One night, without a full moon, Adam came up with a plan, and it was just for me.” She scoffed, bitter. “Apparently, he trusted  _ me _ most of all. At least, that’s what he said. He… he wanted me to sneak out to the edges of the forest, and find their home base.” Yang scooted her chair over, silently laying her arm over Blake’s shoulders. “He wanted me to assassinate the foreman.”

Ruby and Weiss both gasped. Yang didn’t appear to react very much - she’d clearly heard this before.

“Adam was going to scope the place out in his human form, and give me a signal. In the dead of night, I was supposed to come in, once he’d broken the lock, and…” She stopped, unable to finish that. “I was the perfect one for the job - I’m nearly silent, I blend into the darkness perfectly…” she looked at her own hand, imagining a set of claws. “He wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

“I was… scared, to do it. I lied to Adam, saying that I was afraid that the foreman would be able to call someone, or maybe he’d have a gun by his bedside or something. But he kept ‘reassuring’ me, saying that he’d be there the whole time to make sure.” She gave a bitter, mirthless laugh. “He probably thought he was being romantic.”

“What… what happened?” Weiss asked. “Did you…”

“I couldn’t,” Blake said. “I was honestly afraid of Adam by then - afraid of what he’d think up next, what he’d  _ do _ to the people who didn’t go along with him. I know that from an outside perspective, this looks like something that a rational person would never get caught up in, but Adam just had this  _ way  _ about him - he’d get into my head, convince me that what we were doing was right…”

She stopped, apparently not wanting to get into it any further.

“A-Anyways, the time came. I met up with Adam there, ready to bust into the foreman’s room. But what tipped me over the edge was that… he had a gun in his waistband. I… I guess he didn’t think I would notice, or maybe he thought I wouldn’t care, but… that really gave me a reality check, you know? We weren’t vindictive, justified forest animals anymore. We were killers, and  _ he _ was the one who had brought us there.” 

“He was getting close to the foreman’s building. I ran there first - I wanted to warn him, tell him to call someone, to leave. I shifted back into my human form, and started banging on his window. He got up to look, but… the door burst open. Adam was there - I hadn’t responded to his signal. He looked me in the eyes and shot the foreman three times in the chest.”

They all were silent for quite a long time.

“After that, I ran. I thought about trying to find my parents, but… I couldn’t face them, after choosing Adam over them. I snuck my way back into our little encampment, and I grabbed all my stuff - my ID, passport, scroll… all the things we needed when we had to spend time in our human forms. I bought a cheap ticket for a boat, and pretty much hitchhiked my way to Vale.”

“How… how did you get into Beacon?” Weiss asked. She didn’t realize how insulting it was until it left her mouth. 

“I filled out an online application, same as you,” Blake said with a shrug. “Sure, I spent a lot of time in my were, but we did have  _ education. _ Dad had a lot of books on an old computer. The White Fang prided itself on giving its members the knowledge to integrate with human society, once they were old enough to make that choice.” Her ears flattened against her head. “Or, I guess it used to, anyways.”

“Okay,” Yang said. At first, it almost sounded insensitive to what Blake had told them, but her eyes were looking out the window. When Weiss followed her gaze, the sun was beginning to set, which meant that it was time for them to start heading out. “There’s… there’s a bit more to this story,” Yang said. “But I think we could all use a break to get ready.”

“Are you… okay?” Ruby asked softly. Blake gave her a tiny smile.

“Yes,” she said, looking up at Yang. “Yang’s right that there’s still more to tell, but… this is a good stopping point. Trust me, most of that stuff is all in the past, anyways.” Her eyes landed on Weiss. “Don’t worry, I’ll still be there to talk you into your wolf and everything. I think I have to just take a minute before I’ll be ready.”

“Th-thank you,” Weiss said, timidly. She obviously wanted to respect Blake’s emotions and everything, but she also still couldn’t change into her wolf on her own. Ruby had helped a little with letting her tail out, but Blake’s calm, hypnotic voice would probably be best suited for what they had all come to do in the first place. 

“We’ll give you two some space,” Ruby said softly. To Yang, she asked, “Wanna meet up near the big tree?”

“Sure,” Yang said. “We’ll catch up to you.” Ruby nodded, standing up from her chair to clear away everything from their meal. Weiss busied herself with helping. Ruby gently rubbed the shoulder that Blake hadn’t tucked into Yang’s protective embrace, earning her a soft smile. Weiss wanted to do the same, but was too afraid. She ended up just following Ruby. The two of them quickly left the room. 

“Don’t forget the blanket!” Yang called after them.

“I never forget the blanket!” Ruby countered.

“I’ll believe that when it happens!” Yang smugly replied. Their banter was a bit refreshing after hearing Blake’s story.

“Do you… think she’ll be okay?” Weiss asked as Ruby dug up a huge picnic blanket from her closet. 

“Blake? I dunno,” Ruby said. “I’m only really getting to know her just now, y’know?”

Weiss nodded.

“But, from what I’ve seen of her, Blake’s pretty tough,” Ruby said. “I hadn’t heard that whole thing, but I guess it explains why she’s  _ incredible _ at all the were stuff. During the full moon, she changed in, like… ten seconds, tops.”

“Is that fast?” Weiss asked.

“Yang’s been doing it every full moon for the last decade and she takes around twenty.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “Here - help carry this?” She was holding out a beach towel, also retrieved from their closet.

“Sure,” Weiss said, taking it. It was thicker than she’d expected. “What’s it for?”

“You, dummy,” Ruby said, poking her in the ribs. “We’re gonna put our clothes in a bag so they don’t get lost or stolen by squirrels or whatever, and I figured you’d wanna cover up while you change.”

“Oh…” Weiss said. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her, but she was  _ very _ grateful that it had occurred to Ruby. “Thank you. For thinking of me.”

“Always,” Ruby said, slinging an empty bag over her shoulder. “C’mon.”

  
  


“Okay Dad, we’re heading out!” Ruby said. Tai looked up, noticing them.

“Tails away,” he said. “The neighbors got a security camera the other week.”

“Ugh, seriously?” Ruby asked. 

“Tell me about it,” Tai replied. “I don’t think they review the footage or anything, but still.”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, her ears disappearing into her hair. It took Weiss a moment, but she managed to hide hers away, too.

“Hey, you’re getting better at that!” Tai said, upon noticing.

“Thank you,” Weiss said, flushing a little. “I’ve been practicing. Ruby even helps by timing me.”

“Hey, of course I’m gonna help you!” Ruby said. “It’s my…” she stopped herself. “Nevermind.” She turned back towards the door, pushing it open with her foot while her hands were full. “We’ll be back late tonight, Dad. Tell Blake and Yang we’re heading out.”

“Can do,” Tai replied. He sighed. “You’re gonna make another blanket fort, aren’t you?”

To her credit, Ruby gave a sly grin. “I dunno if Weiss has the energy to return to her human form in the same night,” she called back, clearly using it as an excuse. “And we can’t just make her sleep alone on the floor or something…”

Tai let out a defeated sigh. “Just clean it up by morning!”

With that, they were on their way. 

  
  


“Welcome to the wonderful woods of Patch,” Ruby said, walking Weiss down a trail. “They’re really beautiful this time of year.”

Weiss had to admit that she was correct. The trees were remarkably tall - easily two or three times the height of anything planted on campus. Their branches were covered in leaves, all tinged with the reds, browns, and golds of autumn. Not many had begun to fall just yet, but the dirt and the roots around their feet had already started to dry up in the chilly weather.

“Ruby?” Weiss asked. There was something on her mind.

“What’s up?” She asked merrily, looking over her shoulder. “Oh, watch your step.”

Weiss’ eyes followed her hand, and Ruby was pointing to a giant tree root that had overtaken the path. Gratefully, she stepped over it. 

“What were you about to say, when you were talking to your dad?” She asked. “When I said that you were helping me with all the were stuff, you were gonna say something, but you trailed off.”

“Oh,” Ruby said quietly. “It’s… it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Ruby,” Weiss admonished tenderly. “If it really is nothing, that’s okay, but… it didn’t really  _ sound _ like nothing.” she paused, searching for the right words. “And… you don’t have to tell me everything, of course. But I just… well, I figured that I’ve told you so much about me, and all of  _ my _ problems, I feel like…”

“Like what?” Ruby said. Her words were… guarded, but not approaching accusatory.

“I feel like you’re doing  _ so _ much for me, and I guess, if you’re ready, and probably once all this were stuff becomes a bit easier…” She paused, resolving to just say it. “I’m ready to be there for you, too.”

“Weiss, you don’t have to do that,” Ruby said. It was almost instantaneous, like a knee-jerk reaction. Weiss had noticed this little pattern with Ruby - she was always incredibly willing to help other people, Weiss especially, but she often balked at help from others. It almost seemed like she was trying to prove herself, in some nebulous way.

“I know I don’t,” Weiss said. Ruby stopped. This apparently hadn’t been the line she was expecting. “I don’t  _ have _ to help you, Ruby.” Weiss timidly met her eyes, summoning her warmest smile. “But I do  _ want _ to.”

Ruby stood there for a moment, thinking up a reply. Finally, the thing that came to her mind was just a timid, reserved… almost  _ heartbroken _ question. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Weiss said, taking a few slow steps, coaxing Ruby to keep walking. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I mean…” Ruby shrugged. “I don’t have a  _ specific _ reason, I guess. I just…” she sighed. “I’m… a lot. Like, really… a  _ lot. _ I just wanted to know if you were sure.”

“Ruby,” Weiss said gently. “From almost the first day that I met you, you’ve been so impossibly kind to me. Until I started going to Beacon, I  _ genuinely _ did not know that it was possible for human beings…” she paused. Ruby let out a tiny chuckle at her slip-up. “For  _ anyone, _ werewolf or otherwise, to be so kind.” She looked down, cradling her own arm. “I imagined that if someone like that even existed… well. Someone like that would have no reason to be so kind to  _ me.” _

“Weiss, what’re you talking about?” Ruby asked. It wasn’t meant to shut her down - if anything, the question was meant to  _ support _ her. “You’re a really cool, kind, caring friend.”

“I wasn’t always,” Weiss said. “As much as I enjoy having you in my life, Ruby… I’m honestly  _ glad _ that we didn’t meet until this year. I don’t think you would have liked me any time before then.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Ruby replied. It was soft, even a little halfhearted.

“It’s the truth,” Weiss shrugged. “Up until I started to attend high school in Atlas - when I  _ saw _ what other kids, even those with rich, shitty parents, said about my father… what I learned about Atlas in history class, when I started watching the news coverage of his mining disaster seven years ago, when I started talking to Winter, after she left - I learned that the person my father was and the person he claimed to be were two  _ very _ different people. And it made me think a lot about all the beliefs that I’d been unconsciously holding up until then.”

Ruby just looked at her, unsure of what to say. 

“Don’t get me wrong - I’m  _ glad _ that I changed. I’m  _ glad _ that there was just enough outside influence for me to see how much of my world view was fundamentally flawed. But the person I was up until I realized all that…” Weiss let out a little laugh. “Well, for one thing, she would have  _ hated _ you.”

Ruby laughed along, to Weiss’ relief.

“But you never really answered my question,” she said. “What is it that you were going to say?”

“Honestly?” Ruby asked. Weiss nodded, looking into Ruby’s eyes. Ruby sighed, and Weiss could almost watch a barrier that she hadn’t even noticed before start to go down. “I was gonna say… ‘it’s my job.’” Weiss paused at that, initially unsure of what to make of it. “Which… yeah, I know - pretty gross thing to say. So I didn’t say it. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t see what’s necessarily  _ gross _ about it,” Weiss said slowly. “I mean, if you were expecting to be paid for it, I regret to inform you that I’ve recently been cut off from the family fortune…”

Ruby let out a little snort before turning serious. “Your dad finally did it then, huh?”

“I’m afraid so,” Weiss said. “Don’t worry too much. Winter gave me some pointers about how I could put away money that’s in  _ my _ name without his approval, and he did already pay for my whole first semester at Beacon. Plus Klein is still going to send me a few candlesticks. I’ll be okay.”

“How much did you manage to get away from him?” Ruby asked. 

“Currently? About two million dollars. Why, is that a lot?”

Ruby nearly tripped over her own feet.

“Um… yeah. That’s a ton of money, Weiss.”

“It’s mostly in the stock market,” Weiss said. “Plus, Winter and I agreed that we’d pool whatever we had to help get Whitley through college, if we end up convincing him to emancipate himself from Father. That, and the remainder of my  _ own _ college education...” Weiss shook her head. “Either way, that doesn’t matter right now. Why do you think of helping me like a job?”

“Weiss, I don’t  _ really _ think of it like that. It’s just, well…”

“Am I being too much of a burden?” Weiss asked softly. “I -”

“No!” Ruby said, immediately turning to Weiss. She almost reached out to hug her, but stopped herself. “No, Weiss. You’re not a burden. Not on me, not on Yang and Blake, not on my dad… none of us. Don’t ever think of yourself like that.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said sheepishly. “And… I’m sorry. I just… I feel awful that you’re doing all of these lovely things for me.” She looked at the ground, then up at Ruby. “It’s  _ why _ I wanted to help you with things in the first place. Why I want to  _ be there _ for you with things.”

“Weiss, you don’t  _ owe _ me anything,” Ruby said. “I mean, if I’m honest, learning that you have two million bucks lying around has me thinking that you could maybe pay for groceries every now and again, but…” she kicked a little pebble on the path. “If anything,  _ I’m _ the one who owes _ you.” _

Weiss’ brows raised. 

“I… here,” Ruby said. “This is the tree where we said we were gonna meet Blake and Yang. Help me spread out the blanket?”

Weiss nodded, silently moving. As they worked, the weight of what Ruby was still about to say filled the air. It took them about two minutes to spread the blanket out, but it felt like an eternity. Ruby sat down on it, leaning against the wide trunk of the big tree in the middle of Patch’s woods. She’d left space on the blanket for Weiss to do the same, and while it looked like she wanted to, Weiss resolved to sitting cross-legged, facing her instead. Ruby’s heart fell. With all the side topics that they had drifted towards, the look in Weiss’ eyes told her that she was definitely going to have to have this conversation.

“Ruby,” Weiss said. “Why do you feel like you owe me?”

That finally did it. Ruby broke.

“Because you might  _ fucking die _ in two weeks!” Ruby shouted. Weiss immediately flinched, and Ruby closed her eyes, hating herself for lashing out. “I’m sorry for yelling,” she said tepidly. “And I’m sorry for yelling  _ what _ I yelled, too. I’m just…” she crossed her arms, unable to meet Weiss’ gaze. Already, she was too ashamed of herself. “I’m just really,  _ really _ worried that what I did for you -  _ to _ you - might have cost you your life.” She exhaled, upset with herself. “All because I’m selfish.”

“R-Ruby,” Weiss said, timid. Ruby looked up at her, and she must have moved her head quickly enough to make Weiss recoil a bit. She’d been extending her hand to Ruby, but it quickly shrunk away. Ruby closed her eyes painfully -  _ already, _ she’d ruined it. She’d spent all that time, being  _ so _ careful to help Weiss out of her shell, and one tiny little peek of who she  _ really _ was had sent Weiss all the way backwards.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said again. “I shouldn’t have said any of this.”

“Ruby,” Weiss said again. 

“I’ve fucked things up again, I know. Here, I’ll… I’ll head back to my dad’s place. If you want, Blake and Yang can still do everything with you tonight, and then Yang can take you back on Bumblebee tomorrow morning. I -”

_ “Ruby!” _ Weiss said sharply, finally getting her attention. “What’s going on with you tonight?” Weiss asked, more softly. “I… I’ve never seen you like this.” Tenderly, like Ruby was a time bomb, Weiss scooted forward, laying her hand on Ruby’s knee  _ so _ gently that there was barely any noticeable weight. “Can you please tell me what has you so worried?” Ruby looked away from her for a moment, ashamed. Weiss, frustratingly determined, scooted a bit closer. “Ruby.  _ Please.” _ She took a breath. “Tell me what it is that you’re so afraid of.”

Ruby muttered something. To Weiss, it was inaudible.

“What?” Weiss asked gently. Ruby’s shoulders fell, and she finally gave up.

“It’s me, Weiss. I’m afraid of me.”

Weiss blinked for a moment, motionless. She appeared to be processing that. Ruby idly wondered when Blake and Yang were going to save them from this conversation. 

“Ruby, why are you afraid of yourself?” Weiss asked gently. Her gentle, coaxing questions were really getting on Ruby’s nerves at this point, but she couldn’t really blame Weiss for that. She was certainly taking her sweet time getting to it.

“It’s… kinda complicated,” Ruby finally admitted. From her tone, Weiss could tell that this was the beginning of a longer speech, so she sat back, apparently ready to listen. “There isn’t  _ really _ much of a singular answer, either,” Ruby warned. Weiss remained silent. Attentive. Caring.  _ Worried. _

Ruby figured that the last one was probably the smartest.

“Blake isn’t the only one with a shitty ex,” Ruby finally said. It felt simultaneously freeing and revolting to finally talk about the worst period of time in her life to probably the best person who would ever walk into it. She looked up at the sky as its colors began to fade. There was no escaping it now. “But in  _ my _ story… I sound a lot more like Adam.”

Weiss eyes went as wide as dinner plates. That reaction was probably fair, Ruby mused.

“H-How?” Weiss stuttered. Ruby was amazed that Weiss was still here.

“I never… I never  _ killed _ anyone, if that’s what you were worrying about,” Ruby said. She sighed - she really always had to make herself sound better right away, didn’t she? “But the whole ‘crazy overprotective jerk who you should probably run away from’ thing? Yeah.”

Weiss stayed silent. Ruby could tell it was killing her to do so, but she also didn’t want to stop Ruby from telling her story.

“When I was in high school,” Ruby finally said, “I dated a girl for almost two years. We started late sophomore year, and broke up a couple months before graduation.” She shook her head. They didn’t have time for that version - it was too long. “We were… good, for a while, for like a year and change. I guess I ended up getting too comfortable. I thought I was gonna be with her forever, y’know?”

Weiss cocked her head - it was clear that she didn’t understand the correlation, which Ruby thought was fair. “I guess I felt… I dunno. Entitled to her, in a way. Things felt so  _ natural _ that I stopped imagining that they’d be any different, once we really settled into a rhythm with things. Our relationship… progressed, I guess is the right word. She was really into me at first, which was  _ so _ flattering, but…”

“Ruby,” Weiss said gently. Ruby sighed. She had to stop dancing around it. Weiss deserved better than that. 

“One day, she just broke up with me on the spot,” Ruby said. “I had no idea why - I was  _ heartbroken _ at first, but… I heard a few things through the grapevine. About how I was ‘abusive,’ how I was… ‘controlling,’ apparently. She was telling people that she’d started to feel  _ obligated _ to be with me, like it was never something that she’d actually wanted.”

Weiss made a sympathetic sound, and Ruby snorted. 

“Did you… did you ever actually violate her consent?” Weiss asked softly. For a terrified moment, Ruby worried that she already thought that was true.

“No,” Ruby said immediately. “I never - it was nothing  _ direct, _ like that, I guess. The conversations that I heard from people, everything that was expressed, it was always so… nebulous. There wasn’t a specific moment or anything that I heard, it was just… feelings.”

“I didn’t really know what she was talking about. In some ways, I  _ still _ don’t. But… the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense.” Weiss looked like she was about to open her mouth to say something, and Ruby wasn’t ready for that just yet. “She was right - I was just…  _ so _ attached to her. I wanted to see her constantly, I was always holding onto her, always wanting to hold hands, always wanting to…” Ruby sighed. “Look, I said it wasn’t gonna have a singular answer. But the more I thought about the way I was with her - the way I was with  _ every _ girl I’ve ever liked, even the ones I never dated - I was just so…  _ obsessed... _ with this idea of having a girlfriend. With loving someone. And when people don’t measure up to that, or don’t see relationships in the same, crazy way that I do… I overcompensate. I hold on too tight and I do things that my partner doesn’t want and apparently I freak people out to the point where they leave me.” She paused. “And it’s probably for their own good.”

Ruby exhaled, letting her head hit the tree trunk. It hurt, but she tried not to show it.

“So yeah. Happy now?”

Weiss was quiet. She had withdrawn her hand from Ruby’s leg, deep in thought. Ruby knew it was a lot, and she mostly imagined what Weiss was ultimately going to say, but the wait was killing her. 

“Weiss, will you please just say something?” Ruby finally begged.

“I… I don’t know  _ what _ to say, Ruby.” Weiss finally managed. Ruby raised her eyebrows - she was expecting more scorn in Weiss’ tone than that.

“Yeah.” Ruby said. “Told you, it’s a lot.”

“I’m sorry.” Weiss finally said. 

“Me too,” Ruby agreed, now fully entrenched in her misery.

“Ruby Rose,” Weiss said gently. “You have absolutely  _ nothing _ to apologize for.”

Ruby blinked at her. Had she lost her mind?

“I mean it,” Weiss said. Ruby opened her mouth, but Weiss held up a hand. “Don’t tell me that it’s because you Turned me,” Weiss said. “That was, as I would like to once again remind you,  _ entirely _ my choice. It continues to be, and I have not regretted it for one single moment, so don’t  _ you _ start regretting it, okay?” Ruby looked away, clearly still ashamed. “Also...” Weiss let out a sigh, finally ready to admit this to Ruby. It was only fair, because telling her story to Weiss had clearly been very difficult. “If I’m completely honest with myself… I was pretty jealous of you, Yang, and Blake.”

Ruby finally met her eyes again - finally,  _ she _ was the one caught off guard. 

“I mean… the three of you had this… this  _ thing, _ uniting you all,” she said. “You were  _ always _ kind and open with me, before I became a were. Even before then, I felt like I was being let into your family, and I’ll  _ never _ be able to express how much that means to me.” She hugged herself for a moment. “Especially with how my  _ actual _ family is right now.” She closed her eyes, looking back to Ruby. “But if I’m being completely, totally honest with you, and with myself… I’m actually really glad that you ended up offering to Turn me.”

Ruby gave her a look. 

“And I  _ know _ what you’re going to say - that it’s dangerous, that I don’t know  _ how _ dangerous it’s going to be, all of that. I’ve heard it already, and I can at least guess at what I haven’t heard. But at the end of the day, I basically don’t care. I already  _ told _ you - I would rather die a werewolf than live under my father’s thumb.  _ Especially _ if he made me live forever.”

“After hearing everything that happened to Winter, I realized how insanely fortunate I am to have had you in my life. I mean, for gods’ sake, Ruby, I’ve known you for a  _ month and a half _ and you have literally, physically fought men sent by my father to kidnap me.  _ Twice!  _ And now, I’ve spent one entire week as a werewolf, and I already feel like I belong here, with you, Blake, and Yang, more than I ever have,  _ anywhere, _ in my  _ entire life! _ So don’t you  _ dare _ apologize for that! _ ” _

Weiss stopped, realizing that she was shouting now.

“Weiss, I…” Ruby paused. “This is what happens. This is what it’s  _ like. _ Listen to what you’re saying! You might be glad about it now, but think about what I’ve actually  _ done!  _ I’ve put you in this position where you  _ need _ me because I  _ want _ you to need me! I  _ want  _ to be needed, to ‘be there’ for someone, to ‘protect’ them! This is what I do to people - this is what I’m  _ like, _ and I  _ hate _ it!”

Weiss moved to speak, but Ruby interrupted her. She was digging this grave, and she was not about to let Weiss offer her a ladder. She knew she had to go to the bottom sooner or later.

“Haven’t you noticed how obsessed I am with helping you? How much I want to hold you when you’re scared, how freaking overjoyed I am when you want to pet me in my wolf? I practically dragged you into my bed that one night - I can’t believe that I managed to only do it once!” She stopped, slowing herself down. Ruby suddenly had a splitting headache. “I just… don’t you see how badly I want to hold you, to hug you, to  _ touch _ you?”

There was a very long pause. Blake and Yang were definitely late by now.

“No…” Weiss said quietly. “No, Ruby, I don’t see that.” Ruby scoffed, looking away. She opened her mouth, but Weiss stopped her. “Instead, I see a girl who is absolutely  _ terrified _ of hurting me. I see someone who almost  _ never _ touches me without explicit verbal consent. You honestly used to before, but now you’ve begun stopping yourself. When you poked me in the ribs tonight, that genuinely felt like  _ progress.” _

“Weiss, I…”

“Just… hang on a second,” Weiss said. “I can tell you’ve done a lot of thinking about this, about the way you view other people. Maybe it’s other girls specifically.”

“It is,” Ruby confirmed.

“Okay,” Weiss said, as though that were inconsequential when Ruby knew it definitely wasn’t. “Either way, it seems like you’re  _ really _ in your head about this - maybe you have been for a long time.”

Ruby just gave her a weak nod.

“Well, do you mind if I offer you an alternative perspective?” Weiss asked. It seemed like she had attempted to make it sound gentle, but she mostly came off as tired.

Ruby nodded.

“I think that you don’t give me nearly enough credit.”

Ruby quirked a brow - she hadn’t been expecting this.

“Look, I… I dunno if now is the best time to do this. But Ruby, Sweetheart…” Weiss had apparently tried out the nickname, probably inspired by Robyn. Her face told Ruby that she didn’t like hearing it out loud, and Ruby was inclined to agree. Weiss started over.

“Ruby.” She sighed. “Do you  _ really _ think that I’ve been just drifting along, completely unaware of the way that you act around me?”

Ruby blinked. She hadn’t consciously thought of it like that, but she had to admit that the description was rather fitting.

“I mean… do you think I’ve been sitting here, just taking or leaving your offers of physical affection for your sake? Do you think that that stuff just means nothing to me?”

“I…” Ruby began, but the sentence died on her lips.

“I don’t know how you got it so far jammed up in your head that you didn’t consider this, but have you ever maybe perhaps wondered if I  _ like _ snuggling with you, too?”

Ruby was motionless for what felt like several minutes. In reality, it was five seconds at most.

“I… um…” Ruby began. Weiss just put her hands on her hips, expectantly. Ruby sighed. “No?” She finally admitted.

“Well, you’re wrong,” Weiss said. Clearly, she’d been anticipating Ruby’s response. “Last weekend, when I first woke up after you Turned me, I sat on the couch with Blake and Yang.” She said. “They let me lean against them, and eventually  _ between _ them, like it was nothing. Like it was just something that any person could just…  _ do. _ For a minute, I was  _ so _ self-conscious - as you can probably imagine, my family wasn’t exactly the snuggling type.”

Ruby had to admit that was fair.

“And I don’t know if that’s because yours is an actual, normal family, or if it’s because you’re werewolves, or both, but I honestly don’t care.” Weiss said. “I had no freaking  _ idea _ how touch-starved I was up until meeting you all. I always thought it had to be this incredibly special thing, exclusive to only the most romantic of romances.”

“... and?” Ruby asked.

“And then your sister and her girlfriend laughed at me and I realized I was being an idiot.” Weiss said. Ruby couldn’t  _ help _ but laugh at that, though it was still pretty hollow. “Don’t get me wrong,” Weiss said softly. “It feels a bit…  _ different, _ when it’s just you. I don’t really know why, exactly. I think maybe it’s because even then I can feel how scared you are about the whole thing.” Ruby looked away, her lingering attraction to Weiss weighing heavily in her stomach. She knew that that was probably the  _ actual _ reason, but there was no way she was admitting that  _ now. _

“So, Ruby Rose,” Weiss finally said. “I promise you that you don’t need to be afraid of touching me. And you don’t need to be ashamed for Turning me. I am truly,  _ honestly _ glad for both of those things. So will you  _ please _ stop doubting yourself so much around me?”

Ruby closed her eyes. This conversation didn’t entirely feel  _ real, _ if she was being honest. Part of her was still deeply ashamed of her residual attraction to Weiss. Yang had  _ implied _ that things were mutual in that regard, but Ruby wasn’t so sure anymore. Yang had never exactly been spectacular with romantic advice, either - she certainly hadn’t heard about Ruby’s one long-term girlfriend, and there was a reason for that even  _ before _ that relationship ended as badly as it did.

“Hello?” Weiss asked softly. “You still in there?”

“Sorry,” Ruby said, opening her eyes. “I’m just… surprised. I honestly didn’t think you’d be willing to talk to me, like… at all, after what I told you.”

“Like I said,” Weiss began, wordlessly positioning her back against the tree trunk. Ruby let out a soft gasp as Weiss’ head fell onto her shoulder, like it was the simplest, easiest thing in the world. “You really don’t give me enough credit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for reading this absurdly long chapter. I apologize if Weiss and Ruby's conversation ended up feeling a bit cyclical - it's a conversation that I've honestly *had* with people before, so I sort of just... let the two of them have it together, and this is sort of the way it came out. This is the type of thing that I *know* I'm going to have to represent super carefully, and I'd imagine that every gay girl has a different, unique relationship with it. Overall, I was hoping to explain why Ruby is so careful around Weiss, and is so afraid of hurting her - why she'll occasionally touch Weiss normally, and then will be extremely hesitant other times. I'm essentially trying to convey that it's something enjoyable that comes easily to her, but that it also feels wrong to do. I hope that that's sort of coming across in the way I want it to.
> 
> Anyways. Thank you all once again for enjoying my writing, it truly means the world to me. Also, if you hadn't seen (I'm not sure how notifications and stuff work in this regard) the two bonus chapters that I wrote to celebrate reaching 500 kudos are now up, in their own little fic! They're in a series with this one, so please check those out if you haven't yet - I'm really proud of them.   
> Either way, thanks again for reading, and I'll see you next chapter.
> 
> -Red


	14. Become

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everybody!  
> Firstly, there's going to be a somewhat realistic depiction of three wolves and a panther hunting a white-tailed deer in this chapter. I actually did some research and even watched a few nature videos to really get a solid idea of how it works, and I'm really excited for it to mess up my YouTube recommendations. I tried to make my description as minimally graphic as possible, but if you do want to skip the hunt entirely, once you see the first vertical line in the chapter (the ones I use to denote a shift in perspective and/or the passage of time), just keep scrolling until you see the second one. 
> 
> Also, thanks a lot to everyone for sticking with me in terms of Ruby and Weiss' conversation at the end of the last chapter. It's a tough, heavy subject, and I appreciate everybody's patience as these two talk about their feelings. This chapter is insanely long (just under ten thousand words, woo!) and I honestly could have split it into two full chapters, but I didn't want to leave the things that were addressed in the last chapter completely absent from this one, given their nature.   
> That all being said, thank you so much for reading, and please enjoy.
> 
> -Red

“You know… we’re still going to have to talk more about this later,” Weiss said.

“I know.” Ruby said. “I’m still… really sorry.”

“You don’t have to be.”

Ruby laughed. “I… yeah. Sorry, we can…”

“Mm.”

They were silent for a little while, before Weiss suddenly spoke up again.

“Oh, and Ruby?”

“... yeah?” She asked, a bit of a worried note in her voice.

“I really enjoyed having you rest on my shoulders when we fell asleep last weekend. If you still feel comfortable, I’d like for you to do that again.”

Ruby was quiet for a moment. “Weiss, I…”

“It helped me sleep,” Weiss said. “I’m normally used to a blanket, so I found the weight to be very comforting.” She looked up at Ruby with a tepid smile. “I’m… I’m  _ asking _ you to do it. Does that help make it easier?” She hoped that her eyes were conveying how much she cared about Ruby and her comfort levels. From the admittedly timid and scared but overall hopeful look that Ruby returned with, it looked like she understood.

“It… does,” Ruby said, still clearly a little unsure. Weiss put her head back down on Ruby’s shoulder, and felt a warm feeling in her chest when Ruby finally leaned back in, her cheek resting in Weiss’ hair. Very quietly, she muttered something.

“...thank you.”

  
  


“Hey guys!” Yang called out, with Blake in tow. “Sorry we took so long!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Weiss offered. “Are you two just about ready?”

“Yes,” Blake said. “Thanks for waiting up.”

Weiss gave her a smile. 

“Of course.” She leaned a bit further into Ruby for just a moment before sitting up again. “Now, can you all tell me how this whole thing works, so that I don’t make a fool of myself?”

* * *

Weiss stood up in her wolf, sniffing at the air. Her only other experience in this form had been constrained to Tai’s home, but now that she was out here in the woods, feeling the breeze, gazing up at the stars…

The world was a thousand times more beautiful from this position.

“How do you feel, Weiss?” Blake asked. She gave a happy  _ yip _ in response - despite everything leading up to all of this,  _ and _ everything weighing on all of them as the full moon loomed... she was  _ excited. _ This was a whole new experience for her, and she was honestly looking forward to seeing what all of her friends would be like in this context.

Weiss felt Ruby run a hand along her back, and she let her tail happily wag in appreciation. She had curled up in Ruby’s lap while Blake guided her through the change - it was a relief that Ruby still at least felt comfortable enough to do that. Weiss’ main goal was to get Ruby out of her head with everything, and she hoped that tonight would be a decent opportunity to do just that. 

She owed it to Ruby to try.

“All righty,” Yang said, peeling off her shirt. “Let’s get going, then!”

Weiss looked over at Blake, who was just about to enter her panther. For a moment, Weiss felt a bit of shame at seeing her naked, but that was (as she continued to learn) basically part of the whole thing. Besides, the fact that Blake was doing it in front of her probably meant that she didn’t really mind.

Blake’s transformation was nearly instantaneous - it was almost too fast to follow. One second there was a girl with raven hair, the next there was a shadowy form between Weiss and the trees - Blake had blended in with the darkness well enough inside, last weekend, but she was practically  _ invisible _ out here. Weiss’ enhanced vision could only vaguely tell that there was something standing in front of her as Blake moved around, but she looked like a formless void, a ripple of motion in the darkness. Weiss heard a low, lazy purr as Blake apparently stretched, turning her golden eyes towards her. They were truly the  _ only _ obvious indication that something was there.

Blake appeared to notice her staring, and gave Weiss a curious look. She affectionately rubbed her head under Weiss’ chin before slinking away to brush up against Yang’s bare legs as she hung up the bag with their clothes on a limb of the tree.

“Yes, hello there,” Yang chided, letting Blake press herself into her open hand. “If you make me fall down while I’m doing this, it’s just gonna take longer.”

Blake’s tail lazily and unapologetically wrapped itself around Yang’s leg as she walked in a slow, deliberate circle. If Weiss was reading the room correctly, it definitely appeared as though Blake was  _ flirting _ \- something that she evidently enjoyed doing in this form. 

Ruby walked up to Weiss, letting out a tiny sound so that Weiss knew she was there. Weiss turned, careful not to smack Ruby in the face with her tail. Once they were facing one another, Weiss started to give Ruby a few small licks, affectionate but not too overbearing. Based on the lazy wag of Ruby’s tail, she appeared to be enjoying it. When Weiss stopped, Ruby bowed her head a little, looking at the ground. It was almost a respectful gesture, in a way, and for one reason or another, Weiss decided to gently press her forehead into Ruby’s.

Ruby made a soft sound at that - probably as close to a gasp as she could make in this form. After a moment, though, she returned the contact, even gently rubbing her head into it a little. Weiss felt herself relax as she did. Their talk had certainly been intense, and they still hadn’t gotten to  _ everything _ just yet, but it appeared that the Ruby she’d been getting to know was hesitantly making her way back.

Weiss’ heart finally began to settle.

“There - got it!” Yang said triumphantly. She looked down at Blake with mock annoyance. “Yeah, you were very  _ helpful, _ as always.” Blake turned away, tail held high, as if to convey that she had no  _ idea _ what Yang was talking about. 

“Everyone all set?” Yang asked, as the last person still capable of speech. They all gave her approximate nods, and Weiss already found herself feeling a bit silly. “Okay, then,” she said. She met Weiss’ eyes for a moment. “Remember, if you get lost, follow our scents back to the blanket. Howl if you can’t find it, and then stay put - we’ll all be right there.”

Ruby brushed up against Weiss at that, reassuringly. She knew that Ruby wouldn’t leave her side for a second.

Yang dropped to her hands and knees, shifting rather quickly. Now that Weiss had a better picture of all of them, she could tell that Yang was noticeably larger than her and Ruby. Weiss, however, was actually in the middle in terms of sizing - though her winter coat had (according to Ruby) come in early, and thus contributed a fair amount to her apparent size with just the length of her fur.

Yang, now standing there in all her glory, walked out in front of all of them, head held high. She sat back on her haunches and let out a triumphant howl, her voice proud and clear. Ruby sidled up next to her, joining in. Her song was a slightly higher pitch, and it had more yips and yelps, contrasting Yang’s one contiguous note.

Weiss observed them for a moment. Quickly, though, she gave in, walking up on Yang’s other side. 

Weiss had been singing ever since she was a child. Her ear wasn’t remarkably gifted, but she could generally pull out a middle C when necessary. She certainly didn’t know much about music theory, either, and could only read treble clef, but the more musical aspects of this activity did appeal to her enough that she figured she might as well try it.

Weiss sat back on her haunches and  _ sang. _

She tried to go about it in an abstract way, perhaps so that she didn’t have to think  _ too _ much about what she was doing from an outside perspective. She could hear the pitch that Ruby and Yang were going for, and she mostly tried to stay within that range. 

As soon as her note mingled with theirs, the siblings immediately stopped, and Weiss could briefly feel their eyes on her. She accidentally let a few yips into her howl in response, now suddenly rather nervous. Yang looked back upwards, though, howling again - somehow even  _ more _ bold now that Weiss was singing along. Ruby was quick to join her, and Weiss took a breath, letting herself sing one more long, clear note. 

They all finished at around the same time, and they looked forward to find Blake, curled up on her side in front of them. Her tail flicked back and forth impatiently, and Weiss could have sworn that she was somehow raising an eyebrow at Yang. The look on her face was almost comically obvious.  _ Are you done? _

Yang took two steps towards her, licking her forehead once. Blake closed her eyes as if she were generously choosing to permit this, and Yang leaned back before taking a huge, bounding leap over her, running into the thick of the trees. Blake stood up almost lazily, stretching. She then quickly sprinted after her girlfriend, her muscular body moving with impossible efficiency.

Ruby took a few steps forward, looking over her shoulder at Weiss. It was clear that she figured that Weiss wanted to take things a bit more slowly, and though Weiss certainly appreciated the sentiment, she wasn’t about to follow up that frankly exhilarating feeling of howling at the top of her lungs with slow, careful walking. 

She gave Ruby a mischievous look and took off running.

Running felt  _ good _ \- running was  _ amazing. _ The feeling of her paws striking the ground, the wind blowing through her fur… there was nothing like it. Weiss had never been one to really enjoy something like running or jogging - fencing kept her in shape, and laps around the gym were a part of her warm-up and cool-down, but  _ this… _ this was different.

Ruby quickly appeared alongside her, clearly pleased that Weiss had taken to this so easily. Weiss dodged around foliage, truly enjoying the physical exertion in a way that she hadn’t imagined was possible. She watched a squirrel desperately scamper up a tree at her approach, but she paid it no mind, moving far too quickly to care.

To her surprise, she nearly bowled over Blake, who had now stopped next to Yang. Yang’s nose was pressed against the ground, and she roamed over the dirt with scrutiny, like she’d dropped something. Blake wasn’t as insistent, but Weiss could tell that she smelled something, too. The two of them walked back and forth for a little while, apparently trying to pick something up. 

Weiss leaned down herself - she didn’t really know  _ what _ she was looking for, if she was being honest. She could easily pick out the dirt, some grass, the faint woodsy smell of the trees…

She stopped at something - it was subtle, underneath all the olfactory noise. For a moment she thought she might have found whatever it was that the two of them were looking for, but upon closer inspection, she realized that the “trail” she’d been following belonged to Blake.

With a huff, she looked up at Ruby, whose idle searching appeared to be taking on a more promising direction. After a few moments, she picked her head up, letting out a short  _ woof _ to tell the others that she’d found something. Yang padded her way over, and Blake walked around Weiss’ other side, almost startling her. She wasn’t kidding about being nearly silent. 

After they both picked up on whatever Ruby had found, they looked up, with Yang giving Blake a little lick. They then quickly separated, making a wide circle together.

Weiss remembered what Ruby and Yang had explained to her. They hunted like a pack, splitting up to surround their prey, corner it, and cut off its means of escape. Blake was more accustomed to being a solitary hunter - apparently, even during her time in the White Fang, she’d been mostly tasked with feeding herself. But, after spending around a year’s worth of moons with Yang, she’d become better at working with her, and they’d apparently fallen into a bit of a rhythm.

Their  _ general _ plan for this evening involved the three wolves cornering whatever it was they found, chasing it to where Blake would hopefully be waiting to pounce from a tree. Ruby and Yang were perfectly experienced corralling a wild animal between just the two of them, so Weiss could simply stick with Ruby and mostly observe her. They’d all made it abundantly clear that it was fine if they didn’t catch anything, and that Weiss could participate as much or as little as she wanted, which she was extremely grateful for.

Ruby got her attention with a little  _ yip, _ and Weiss realized that she’d been spacing out. Ruby’s nose was pointed to a particular clump of grass, indicating that she wanted Weiss to observe it. When she did so, she finally caught the scent - she honestly had no idea  _ what _ kind of creature it was - that ability, she’d been told, would come with time - but it was certainly distinct enough that she figured she’d be able to pick it out from the other things in the little forest.

Ruby, satisfied that Weiss had gotten a good grasp on what they were hunting, began to walk forward, in the direct middle of the paths that Blake and Yang had taken. She moved at a reasonable pace, though it appeared she was deliberately slowing herself down for Weiss’ sake as they followed the scent.

It went on like this for around fifteen minutes or so. Weiss couldn’t have been quite certain - she felt almost entirely in control of herself in this form, but she did have to admit that her sense of time, as well as a few other small things, was a bit muddled. She idly wondered if that was just what being a were was like, or if it was something she’d get better at with experience.

Ruby’s pace began to slow, and Weiss immediately followed suit, crouching down behind a bush. She was rather aware that she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the dark browns and greens of the foliage around them, and Ruby’s goal appeared to be stealth. Silently, she looked straight ahead, and Weiss followed her gaze, peeking her head out just a little.

A medium-sized buck, maybe about half a foot taller than Yang’s wolf, was idly grazing in a small clearing. He appeared peaceful enough, though Weiss couldn’t help but notice his rather massive antlers - they definitely looked like they could do some damage in the right circumstances.

Weiss had never felt a particular love for wild animals, but she had to admit that she did feel a bit of sympathy for the creature, now that she knew its fate. She understood that part of being a wolf was getting accustomed to the actual  _ hunting _ part of hunting, but she did still feel a twinge of guilt for her involvement with what was about to happen. 

Ruby looked up at her, checking in. Weiss gave her a small nod, ready.

Ruby stood up, tilting her head to the sky once more. She sucked in a breath and howled. The deer immediately raised his head in alarm, one beady eye finding its way to Ruby instantly. It seemed to panic, turning on a dime and bolting away.

This, Weiss quickly learned, was the wrong choice, as Yang burst out from the undergrowth, bearing down on the buck from the direction that it had just started to run. The frightened creature skidded to a halt, and Yang took the slightest step to Weiss’ right, immediately provoking the buck to turn left. Weiss recognized the feint - she wasn’t actually aiming to take the thing down on her own, but her quick little gesture had corralled it closer to where Blake inevitably lay in wait.

Ruby took off with Yang, keeping pace with the buck on either side of it. Weiss hurried to follow her, keeping her distance. She didn’t want to interfere, but she also didn’t want to lose Ruby. 

The buck began to outpace them, as its top speed easily bested their own - but Weiss knew that the three of them had far more endurance overall, and that it couldn’t keep its dead sprint up for long.

Just then, a tree up ahead made the slightest noise, and like a shadow stretching in the sunset, Blake pounced down from the lower branches. It appeared that she hadn’t been expecting a buck, because there was no way that she’d be able to get a clean hit from above it with those antlers in the way. She was forced to leap  _ over _ its body, attempting to catch its hind legs on her way down. The buck twisted, trying to keep itself out of the range of her claws. Blake coiled into the ground like a spring, preparing herself for another leap.

Yang came up from the side, trying to tag the creature, but she barely got a decent hit. Their numbers advantage was clear, but the buck was still absurdly muscular, throwing a powerful kick in Yang’s direction with its hind legs. She dodged its hooves, but had to leap backwards a bit to do it, moving herself out of threatening range. Blake tried to go for a brutal kill bite, but the buck was already moving again, and while she tore into its flank with her claws, the buck was still on his feet.

He ran into the space that he’d created from threatening Yang, and Ruby pursued him while Blake was still getting back up from her previous swipe. She was only on the ground for maybe half a second, but that was plenty of time for the buck to get a head start. Weiss closed in with Ruby - she wasn’t sure if she was ready to actually bite into the thing, exactly, but she could certainly be another body pursuing it. 

Weiss trailed the buck from behind, nearing its right hind leg while Ruby threatened its left. Ruby then leapt, attempting to tear at the leg on her side, but she slightly overestimated her jump distance, and the buck turned, letting Ruby fly past him. She landed and spun around with a frustrated growl, now actually staring the buck down face-to-face.

Weiss’ heart momentarily stopped - Ruby was  _ directly _ in front of the buck’s horns, and he had apparently gone from ‘flight’ to ‘fight.’ He lowered his head at Ruby, threatening to dig his horns underneath her soft underbelly. Ruby growled and even barked a few times, trying to intimidate him, but the buck was undeterred. His breathing was heavy, even ragged - this looked like his only chance to get out.

His hind leg suddenly came out from under him, and he whined with shock, his head lifting up to see behind him. In that split second, he exposed his throat, and Ruby took the opportunity to tear into it.

Yang hit the buck from the side a second later, and Blake was there right beside her in an instant. They brought him down, now almost gentle, once the fight had left him.

With their hunt successful, all three of them stared at Weiss. 

She sat back on her haunches for a moment, recalling what,  _ exactly, _ had just happened. The instant that the buck was threatening Ruby, Weiss had moved without thinking, her jaws wrapping around the tendons in his hind leg and pulling. It almost didn’t even feel like a choice - her body had just naturally responded the moment that Ruby was in danger. 

The adrenaline coursing through Weiss’ veins slowly began to fade as she watched the three of them tear off their pieces, settling down to eat. Weiss wasn’t sure that she had the stomach to watch them, but when she looked back down at the buck, her cheeseburger suddenly wasn’t as filling as it had been an hour ago. Letting out a tiny sigh, she very carefully dug her teeth into that same spot, and let her instincts take over again.

* * *

  
  


It didn’t take them very long to finish, and Weiss soon heard Blake stand up, gently dragging her tongue across Yang’s front legs to clean up a little bit of spattered blood. Weiss looked down at her own front paws with a bit of frustration - her stark white coat was now covered in mud up to her elbows. There were also a few red spots, and probably more on her face.

Timidly, Weiss stood and made her way over to them. She lied down with her front paws in plain view, hoping that her intention was clear. Ruby wandered over, stopping to look at her. Yang sat up on her haunches, gently butting her head against Ruby’s flank, obviously urging her in Weiss’ direction. 

Ruby looked back over her shoulder at Yang, almost insulted, but Yang just gave an unapologetic look, tending to the matted fur around Blake’s mouth. Ruby met Weiss’ eyes, clearly still a bit afraid. Weiss, having absolutely none of that, sat up and began to delicately groom some of the fur around Ruby’s jaws - she was probably the dirtiest out of all of them, since she’d taken the buck down in the first place.

Ruby froze at Weiss’ touch, even her tail going stock-still. But after a few seconds, Weiss felt her body relax as her tail resumed a lazy wag. Weiss stopped, inspecting her handiwork. Ruby was mostly clean, so Weiss affectionately rubbed her head against Ruby’s, getting a lick in return. She sat back, and Ruby began to carefully groom her, clearly still a bit nervous about the whole thing. 

That was fine, for Weiss. She was more than happy to be patient. 

Eventually, the four of them found their way back to the blanket they’d left out - Ruby had taken point, and they mostly followed her nose. Weiss flopped down, tired from all of their running, and, if she was honest, slipping into a little bit of a food coma from eating so late at night. She didn’t notice that Ruby and Yang had both changed back, though she figured it was so that they could start cleaning up their little campsite. She heard them talking back and forth to each other, but she had only half a mind to pay attention. Blake, too, was pretty zoned-out, lying on her back and shifting around, trying to scratch her shoulders.

Curiously, though, Ruby sat down in front of Weiss, with the beach towel that they’d brought in her hands. Mercifully, she’d thrown on some underwear and a shirt.

“Hey,” Ruby said. “Um… thanks, for everything with that buck. I dunno how he cornered me like that - he was a lot smarter than I thought he’d be…”

“It was my bad,” Yang said over her shoulder. “I should’ve stayed on him when he tried to kick me.”

“Still…” Ruby shrugged it off. “Either way, I appreciated the help.”

Weiss sat up, giving her a big, warm lick, right on her face. Ruby immediately burst into giggles. “Thank you,” she laughed. She held up the towel in her hands. “Here, Dad hates it when we bring mud into the house - do you mind?”

“You’re next, Blake,” Yang said, having brought the bag with their clothes down from the tree limb.

Blake let out an annoyed huff, but it soon gave in to a purr when Yang started scratching between her shoulder blades.

Weiss gave Ruby a grateful nod, standing up. She held out her front paw, letting Ruby wipe away most of the mud. The other one didn’t take long, and Ruby slid over behind her to get the back paws. 

Weiss felt her tail thump against something.

“Hey!” Ruby complained. “Watch the face!”

Weiss let out an embarrassed yip, which immediately got a laugh from both sisters.

“All set,” Ruby said, running her hand along Weiss’ back. “Feel better?” Weiss turned around, immediately running her tongue from Ruby’s chin all the way up to her forehead. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she laughed, tossing the towel over to Yang. She wiped the remaining mud off of her hands before tending to Blake.

Weiss enjoyed the scratches that Ruby started giving her, though one of her ears turned in Blake’s direction when she hissed.

“Sorry, sorry,” Yang said, chuckling as she brought the towel down on Blake’s paws again. “I know, this one is sensitive.”

Blake gently laid her head back down, apparently satisfied with Yang’s new, slower pace.

Weiss once again marvelled at how  _ normal _ everything felt right now. This situation was  _ objectively _ strange - probably the single oddest life experience that she’d ever had up until this point. In the last few hours, she’d gone into the woods and gotten naked with three other girls before actually  _ hunting _ a wild animal with them. Their grooming tasks were so lighthearted that they could have easily been having a pillow fight instead of cleaning dirt and even  _ blood _ off of one another. Not to mention the fact that she had  _ actually _ howled at the moon. 

But, as Ruby’s tender fingers kept scratching behind her one ear - she felt her tail start to thump against the ground as Ruby found a particularly good spot - she realized that in some respect, she’d given up on any concept of ‘normal’ a long time ago. Strange as it all was, she still felt relatively at ease with the pace with which she’d started to take up being a werewolf. 

Normal was what she made of it. And to Weiss, lying on a picnic blanket at probably one o’ clock in the morning, letting her college roommate scratch behind her wolf ears, looking up at the beautiful crescent moon… 

It felt like the most normal thing in the world.

“All set,” Yang said, earning herself a lick on the cheek from Blake. Weiss imagined that it must feel rather sandpaper-y, but Yang didn’t seem to mind. “Ready to head back, everyone?” Weiss stretched herself out in Ruby’s lap, and she followed Blake off of their little blanket. The two sisters quickly worked to fold it up, and Ruby scooped it up in her arms. Yang had the bag full of their clothes over her shoulder.

Weiss sort of cocked her head for a moment, wondering about their usual routine when it came to this. It wasn’t as though they could willingly change back on a full moon - not until morning, at least…

Ruby, apparently reading her mind, spoke up. “We normally just sleep on the blanket and head back home in the morning,” she said. “But…” she gave Weiss a tender look. “We figured that you’d be more comfortable back in the house.”

That made sense. She and Ruby had honestly been avoiding being out at night when they could, just in case any vampires came for them again. They’d been a bit worried on their way home from Oobleck’s class that week, but fortunately their short walk had been uneventful. Whether that was due to luck, or to Yang and Blake accompanying them the entire way, was anyone’s guess. Weiss hoped it was the former, but was grateful for the latter all the same.

Weiss trotted along at Ruby’s hip as they made their way back to Tai’s home - the walk was a lot more pleasant without the tension that had hung over them on the way out. They quietly entered through a back door, and after a short hallway, Weiss recognized Tai’s living room. Surprisingly, it had already been set up in a blanket fort, though it was slightly less elaborate than their previous design.

“Oh, yeah,” Yang chuckled, keeping quiet because she knew Tai was asleep. “This is why Blake and I took so long - we figured we’d get it out of the way beforehand…”

Weiss was all too happy to hear that. She figured that building the fort was likely what had improved Blake’s disposition after telling her whole story to them that evening. She heard Yang walk into the laundry room, putting their dirty clothes and the beach towel directly into the laundry machine. Ruby had shaken the dirt out of the blanket in the backyard, and she went to go return it to its place in their closet.

Sleepy and satisfied, Weiss padded into the fort, flopping down on her chest. Blake wasn’t far behind, leaning her back against Weiss’ flank. Ruby, now in her wolf again, quickly joined them, with Yang in tow. She let Yang walk in first, and she settled up against Blake, who adjusted to lay her head on Yang’s back when she curled up. Ruby slowly padded in, careful not to knock anything down in the new, admittedly smaller fort design. She sat next to Weiss. After a moment’s hesitation, Weiss exhaled with relief, as sure enough, Ruby gently draped her head across Weiss’ shoulders.

For the moment, all was right with the world, and sleep soon came for her.

  
  


* * *

When they awoke the next morning, Tai offered to let Weiss drop some of her clothes off at the were-friendly tailor that he’d mentioned last weekend. The short woman behind the counter, who apparently owned the place, had introduced herself as “Maria.” Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to save Weiss’ dress, not without an obvious stitch. Weiss thanked her regardless, and was happy to let Maria use the rest of it for fabric scraps. 

She’d actually had to let her tail out in Maria’s back room while she took a few measurements, wanting to make proper space for it. It had been more than a little embarrassing for Weiss as an elderly woman wrapped a measuring tape around the base of her tail, but when she had told Weiss to “quit fidgeting” for the third time, she obeyed out of sheer awkwardness. However, once  _ that _ business had concluded, Maria promised that she’d have all of Weiss’ pants and tights altered by the end of the week, and her price was  _ very _ reasonable. Weiss had made sure to tip generously. On their way out, Maria had called after Tai.

“You tell that daughter of yours that if she grows out of  _ another _ pair of pants, I’m gonna start charging her double for a year,” she’d muttered. “I’m honestly glad to be doing this for somebody  _ else, _ for a change.”

“According to Ruby, she’s just about done growing,” Tai had replied. “Which is  _ very _ good news for my wallet. She’s had the same pair of shoes for almost four months now - it’s very exciting.” Maria had just given him a chuckle and a smile as they headed out.

After that, he’d driven Weiss and Ruby back to campus, with Blake and Yang not too far behind on Bumblebee. By late afternoon, she and Ruby were at the grocery store, stocking up for the week.

“Ruby, why are you buying all of that popcorn?”

Ruby looked over her shoulder, nervous for a moment. “Oh, umm… I was actually thinking that we could do a movie night tonight. You deserve a break after all the activity last night, plus there’s the moon…”

Weiss froze. 

“What about the moon?” She asked, her voice carefully soft. “Is… is there another supermoon, or…?”

“Oh!” Ruby said, realizing she’d forgotten something. “No, no, don’t worry about that. If anything, it’ll actually be the opposite…”

Weiss cocked her head. Fortunately, they were alone in the aisle, which was rare for a Saturday.

“So, it was a waning crescent last night,” Ruby explained. “And since the  _ full _ moon is in two weeks, tonight is a  _ new _ moon.”

Weiss’ brow furrowed, imagining what that meant.

“So, what, are we gonna be extra-human tonight or something?” She asked, keeping her voice down. Ruby laughed.

“In a way, I guess. No transforming, no ears, no tails - we’ll just be a pair of regular, squishy humans with a really good sense of smell and super-healing.” Ruby shrugged, a bit of pink on her cheeks. “I’m sorry, I should have explained this... I’m still getting used to remembering that you’re Turned. Most of us can feel a new moon coming, because it’s that one day a month where we feel really lazy and tired and don’t wanna do anything. Dad, Yang and I used to always do movie night.”

“It’s okay, Ruby,” Weiss said softly. “I figure that there’s… a lot to cover, if nothing else.” She gave her a smile. “A movie night sounds lovely, but I’m afraid that you’ll have to have that popcorn all by yourself.”

“Oh, what a tragedy,” Ruby lamented sarcastically. She laughed. “Thanks, Weiss. Want me to grab you snacks or anything?”

“Do you remember what that candy I had at the movie theatre was called?” Weiss asked. Ruby smiled. 

“Oh, yeah. I know where they are, I’ll go grab some.”

“Sure. Oh, did you pick up the pasta yet?”

“Not yet. Can you get some? The ones that’re little bow ties?”

Weiss rolled her eyes.

“Only you could have a favorite  _ shape _ of pasta.”

“The other ones don’t taste as good!”

“Never change, Ruby. Never change.”

The two of them had already started using a shared grocery list - there really wasn’t much of a point to do anything else, because Ruby was the only one cooking, and Weiss wasn’t picky. It was a rhythm that they’d fallen into naturally, grocery shopping together on Saturdays. The store that they usually went to was around half a mile from campus. Since neither of them had a car, and Vale was mostly a walking city anyways, they had to make the trip on foot. Going together meant that they’d actually be able to carry back everything that they needed for the week in one trip.

Obviously, Weiss thought, the convenience wasn’t the  _ only _ benefit - any time she got to spend with Ruby, especially with all of the time to chat that their walking trip afforded them, was time well-spent as far as she was concerned.

“Hey!” Ruby said, appearing next to Weiss, her candies now in Ruby’s basket. “Ready to go?”

“Oh - yes, sorry, I must’ve just spaced out for a second.”

Ruby smiled.

“Yeah, the new moon will do that to you.”

Weiss shrugged, starting to follow her to the checkout counter. 

“I guess so - honestly, I’ve just been tired enough from everything with my father, talking to Winter, this weekend… not to mention all my homework.” She sighed. “I don’t think I would have noticed the moon making me tired, even if I  _ had _ known about it beforehand.”

“Don’t worry,” Ruby chuckled. “We can get home, unpack all this stuff, flop onto our beds, and watch any movie you like.”

“Ruby, it’s four in the afternoon,” Weiss laughed. “I thought it was supposed to be a movie  _ night.” _

“Nights can start as early as we want!” Ruby declared.

“Fair enough,” Weiss said. She let out a surprisingly big yawn, stretching for a moment, and for  _ some _ reason, her first instinct was to put her arms around Ruby immediately afterwards. The thought startled her awake - for one thing, Ruby was checking out with her groceries, so Weiss lazily grabbing her would definitely hinder that activity, and she didn’t want to be rude.

Secondly, though… they were in  _ public. _ Weiss certainly liked hugging Ruby... leaning against Ruby...  _ snuggling _ with Ruby - but she’d never actually expressed any of that physical affection in  _ public _ before. For some irritating reason, that made it all a bit more real for her - when they were alone in their room, casually leaning against each other and chatting, that was one thing. It still allowed plausible deniability that they were still just friends. But if Weiss were to do something like that here… any onlookers would certainly interpret that as romantic, and Weiss just wasn’t sure if Ruby would be comfortable with that.

On some level, she knew she was being silly. Even if she and Ruby  _ were _ dating, that would certainly be an acceptable thing to do in public - Blake and Yang held hands nearly  _ everywhere _ that they went. Yang’s arm even found its way around Blake’s shoulders sometimes during Oobleck’s lectures, and no one had ever given them a second look about any of it - except her father, of course. So who would care what onlookers thought, even if they weren’t actually together?

But still… something about that public aspect of it all seemed like it would make the idea of a romantic relationship between herself and Ruby - something that Weiss imagined more frequently than she would ever admit - more obvious, more out in the open. She didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on Ruby about the whole thing, especially after their conversation last night…

“Weiss!” Ruby said, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Oh!” She said, quickly unloading her basket onto the checkout counter. “Sorry, my head’s been in the clouds all day.” The young man behind the counter just gave her a nod - fortunately, there was no one behind her, so she was spared  _ that _ embarrassment. They quickly checked out, and soon she and Ruby were sharing the sidewalk back to campus.

“What were you thinkin’ about?” Ruby asked. 

Weiss already felt her cheeks getting a bit pink. She wasn’t certain if Ruby would want to talk about what was on her mind this soon, and especially not relatively in public.

“L-last night,” she admitted. 

“Oh,” Ruby said, her voice small. 

“It’s okay,” Weiss said immediately. “We don’t have to talk about it here, I just…”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, a little sullen. Weiss frowned. She was  _ not _ about to let Ruby get wrapped up in her own head about this again - if she  _ did _ try to broach the subject later tonight, in their room, that would only make things worse.

“Also,” Weiss said, making Ruby perk up at the change of topic, “I was wondering about my father, and the new moon.”

Ruby’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Weiss admitted, “It’s clear that he… wants me to be a vampire. And I don’t  _ think _ he knows I’m a werewolf, but he definitely knows that you are.”

Ruby gave a tiny shrug at that, conceding the point.

“And you said we can’t transform tonight, because of the moon, right?” Ruby nodded. “So… I guess I’m worried that he might try something today.”

“Yeah.” Ruby looked at the ground. “I’ll admit, I… part of why I wanted to do movie night was so that we were inside before sundown. Just in case, y’know?”

“That’s probably smart,” Weiss agreed. She looked over at Ruby, who was still looking down a little. “No need to feel bad about it,” Weiss said warmly. “You’re just looking out for me.”

“Yeah, but…” Ruby sighed. “I also could’ve just  _ told _ you. I guess I didn’t wanna talk about your dad and stuff, ‘cuz I’m sure it’s not very fun to think about, so…”

“That’s sweet.” Weiss said. Ruby met her eyes - this was not what she had been expecting, clearly. “I appreciate it, and  _ trust _ me, once Whitley and I are free of that man, I will very much enjoy spending several days or even weeks in a row never speaking about him.”

Ruby let out a small laugh.

“But until then,” Weiss said, her tone gentle, “I think I’ll be able to talk about him every once in a while.” She paused. “I do appreciate the gesture, though.” 

Finally, Ruby looked up at her, her smile tiny, but warm.

“Thanks.” Her smile faded, and she added, “If he  _ does _ try something… what do you think it’ll be?”

“I’m not sure,” Weiss said honestly. “He cut me off, in the financial sense, a few days ago. Fortunately I was able to get that two million that he had in stocks that were under my name, because I remembered which stockbroker was handling all of ‘my’ finances. I’m lucky that I turned eighteen already, so the money did  _ technically _ become mine.” She paused. “But I still haven’t actually heard anything from him.”

“Is that… normal?” Ruby asked. “I mean, it seems like communication  _ really _ isn’t his strong suit, what with the whole ‘left his daughter on read for four freaking days’ thing, but…”

Weiss sighed. 

“Honestly? I think he’s expecting  _ me _ to call  _ him, _ asking for his money back.”

Ruby scoffed. “That’s so gross.” Weiss just nodded. “What… what do you think he’ll do if you just… don’t? Ever?”

“I doubt he’ll just leave it there, if that’s what you were hoping,” Weiss said. By the small sound of disappointment that Ruby made, she had indeed been hoping that. She shrugged. “I guess I could just call him and tell him I’m a wolf now.”

Ruby laughed. “The look on his face would probably be worth it.”

“No kidding,” Weiss said. “Let me try texting Whitley again. I just asked him something casual last time, so maybe he was busy and forgot about it. If I make it sound a bit more serious, I think he’ll reply.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, tepidly encouraging. “Are you two, like… close?”

“Not really,” Weiss admitted. “We’re certainly nowhere near as close as you and Yang, or even as close as Winter and I am now. Whitley always kind of did his own thing, which was usually doing whatever he could to take after Father.”

Ruby paused. “Think he’s…” she didn’t pantomime fangs with her hands because they were full, but the overdramatic hiss that she made (plus her fake angry expression) told Weiss what she meant.

“Whitley’s only fourteen,” she said. “Think he’d wait until he actually became an adult first, so he wouldn’t stay a child forever?”

“Maybe,” Ruby shrugged. “Does Whitley have social media or anything? A recent sunlight pic might tell us.” Weiss smiled at her cleverness.

“I’ll look into that when we get home,” she said. She laughed a little, remembering last Friday night. It felt like years ago. “I’m sure that you’ll be very surprised to hear that Father  _ hates _ that I call it that.”

“Sounds like a him problem,” Ruby shrugged. More serious, she asked, “Do you… mean that?”

“Of course I do, Ruby,” Weiss said. “The Schnee manor certainly isn’t a home to me anymore.”

“No, I… I know,” she said. “But still, you… you think of our room like a home? Not just a place you live or anything?”

“Yes,” Weiss said, without hesitation. She smiled as they walked up to their building. “After all, my dresses are there, as is my rapier, my computer, not to  _ mention _ all of my shoes…”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Well, when you put it like  _ that...” _ she said, trailing off. 

Weiss turned, giving her a smile and a wink once she called the elevator. 

“I  _ may _ have a few other reasons, too.”

  
  


* * *

As the credits rolled on Weiss’ choice of movies (a delightfully silly romantic comedy), Ruby got up to stretch and make more popcorn before the next one. They’d moved her computer monitor, the biggest screen they had, to be visible from Ruby’s bed and created a half-decent back rest out of pillows against the wall. Weiss’ shoulder had been touching Ruby’s, but the angle of their sitting was a bit too awkward to fully lean against her. The general aura that she’d been giving off had made Weiss have second thoughts about trying.

She gathered up her courage. It was time to talk to her about it.

“Hey, Ruby,” Weiss said, causing her to turn around. It was honestly a little odd to see her like this - in their room, early in the evening, wearing comfy clothes,  _ without _ her ears and tail - but Weiss pushed through it anyways. “Before the next one, do you… wanna maybe continue our talk from last night?”

Ruby’s shoulders fell a little bit. “I… sure, if you had something specific in mind. What did you wanna ask about?”

“I just…” Weiss paused. “Are you… feeling okay about it? Or maybe at least a little better?”

Ruby shrugged. She put the popcorn in their microwave, a recent housewarming gift from Qrow. It appeared to be ten years old and had arrived in a sorry-looking box, but it worked. She set the timer, but didn’t press the ‘start’ button yet, knowing it would make noise. Weiss also figured that she didn’t know how long this conversation would take, and the popcorn might get cold.

“I dunno. I’m a little better, I guess, it’s just… weird. I don’t know how to quantify it, y’know?”

“Me neither,” Weiss admitted readily. Carefully, she patted the bed next to her, turning so that she and Ruby could face one another. “I… I’d like to hear your story again, or I suppose with a little more detail.” She paused. “If… if you’re okay with sharing.”

“Honestly, there really isn’t much else to share,” Ruby admitted. She started walking towards her bed and hopped up, sitting cross-legged about a foot away form Weiss. “My ex and I were together for about two years. We were… normal, I guess, and happy, until she broke up with me pretty spontaneously, and then over the next few months I started hearing all these rumors about how ‘abusive’ I was. It was nothing specific, and I  _ know _ none of it was true, but…” she sighed. “When you know someone that well, for that long, and they say something like that about you… some part of it  _ has _ to be true, right?”

Weiss’ brow furrowed.

“Did she ever tell you that she felt uncomfortable with anything while you two were actually  _ together?” _ Weiss asked. “Because the way you’re telling it, it seems like all of this started afterwards, so…”

Ruby thought back for a moment. “Well, there was one thing, I guess, early on, but…”

Weiss just gave her a nod, encouraging that she continue. 

“Um…” Ruby said, her cheeks going a bit pink. “After we’d been dating for like two months, we were, uh… making out…” she seemed  _ very _ embarrassed telling this to Weiss, who actively made efforts  _ not _ to picture Ruby passionately kissing another girl, and simply gave her another nod. “And I, uh… I started to take her shirt off, and she stopped kissing me, and told me she didn’t want to.”

“And?” Weiss asked.

“Well, I stopped,” Ruby said. “I asked her if she still wanted to kiss, or if she just wanted to chill out or do something else, and she said it was okay if we kept kissing.” Ruby’s cheeks got a little redder. “Well, she used her mouth to say it, but what she did wasn’t technically  _ speaking…” _

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Yes, you can spare me the details.”

Ruby just nodded, still visibly embarrassed.

“Okay, then,” Weiss said. “So early on, you began to take a step in a direction that she maybe wasn’t ready to take yet, and when she expressed that, you stopped.”

Ruby nodded.

“Then… doesn’t that seem like the complete opposite of what she’s describing?” Weiss asked gently. “Doesn’t it strike you as odd that you didn’t hear anything like this until after the breakup?”

“I dunno!” Ruby said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I don’t know  _ how _ she feels - she never really said anything to me! So now I’m just kinda sitting here, worried that I hurt her because I didn’t pay close enough attention to her feelings, and even  _ more _ worried that I’ll do that to someone else.”

“Ruby,” Weiss said gently. “You’re not a mind-reader.”

“And, I mean… I  _ really _ liked being with her. Like I said, I wanted to hold hands all the time, I’d kiss her in public a lot, I liked calling her ‘my girlfriend’ even when everybody already knew who she was…” Ruby sighed a very tired, very existential sigh. “I just feel so creepy, so…  _ predatory _ now.” She laughed an empty, hollow laugh. “I guess it probably doesn’t help that I’m a  _ literal _ apex predator.”

Weiss had to give her that.

“Ruby,” Weiss said again, even more gently. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully understand your feelings - both about your past relationship or your current friendship with me.” The word “friendship” didn’t  _ quite _ feel like a perfect descriptor, here, but it was certainly the closest word that she had. “And your past is only my business to the point that you feel comfortable sharing it with me. Maybe you were a little overzealous with that girl, and maybe in some scenarios that made her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t or didn’t express that for some reason. If that’s the case, then that’s unfortunate, and I’m sorry for  _ both _ of your sakes that it ended up happening.”

Ruby looked down at her lap, her face filled with gloom.

“But,” Weiss said. “The Ruby Rose that I have been getting to know for the past several weeks has been an  _ extremely _ kind, considerate, gentle, friendly, and  _ warm _ person, who I simply could not imagine being even slightly uncomfortable with.” Ruby met her eyes with a soft but grateful smile.

“In fact,” Weiss continued, “I’m pretty sure that I’m infinitely more comfortable being alone in a room with you than I would be with my brother, or even my own father.”

“That’s a pretty low bar,” Ruby muttered.

“Sure it is,” Weiss shrugged, “It’s subterranean. But the point that I’m trying to make here is that you make me feel like I have a  _ family, _ Ruby. In the short time that I’ve known you, you’ve opened your home to me, treated me like a member of your family, cooked dinner for me every single night, ran halfway across the city for me without even being asked, and in that alley last week, you  _ probably _ saved my life.”

Ruby shrugged. “Yeah, but… I  _ wanted _ to protect you. I  _ wanted _ to be close to you - I  _ still _ do. I’ll admit, I… I really like being needed by people. I mean, I don’t  _ like _ it when bad things happen to my friends, not even close, but… I kinda secretly love that  _ I’m _ the person they come to when they do.”

“Have you perhaps considered that that isn’t a bad thing?” Weiss asked. Ruby’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Ruby,” Weiss said patiently. “I know you probably can’t see it this way, but I’m  _ genuinely _ amazed that you’ve done all of these things for me. I may have grown up with bad examples, but the point remains that almost no one I know cares about me as much as you do. That makes me care about you  _ more, _ not less.”

“Yeah, but that was my goal,” Ruby said. “I  _ wanted _ to be close with you, so I did those things. I thought you were really cool and I wanted you to like me, and -”

“Ruby,” Weiss said, almost exasperated at this point. “That’s what friendship IS. You do things for people,  _ with _ people, because you care about them, and you want them to be a part of your life.”

Ruby stared at Weiss for an entire minute, completely silent. She barely even blinked.

“... holy fucking shit…” she said quietly.

Weiss gave her a slightly exasperated but still gentle expression, which appeared to say  _ “get it now?” _

Ruby was just silent, shaking her head in utter disbelief about how she genuinely had never seen it that way.

“Also, for the record,” Weiss said. “If I didn’t like you, and I didn’t want to be your friend, do you think that you’d be able to magically convince me otherwise just by being nice enough?”

Ruby shrugged.

“I’m around you because I  _ want _ to be, Ruby. No one is forcing me to.”

“We were randomly-assigned roommates,” Ruby countered.

“And if you had been rude, annoying, or the kind of person who doesn’t replace the toilet paper,” Weiss said, getting Ruby to laugh a little, “I would have called my father and had a single apartment off-campus ready to go within the week.”

Ruby blinked.

“I…” she began, but the sentence didn’t go anywhere.

“Like I said,” Weiss smiled, “I’m around you because I  _ want _ to be. So please, don’t try to pretend like you don’t deserve to be my friend, or whatever silly thing that that girl managed to convince you. I genuinely enjoy your company, and the moment that that stops being true, I will promptly inform you. Communication is a two-way street, and  _ I _ don’t expect you to read my mind.” 

Ruby let out a small laugh.

“Okay?” Weiss asked.

“Okay,” Ruby said, her shoulders finally relaxing. 

Wordlessly, Weiss opened her arms, letting Ruby practically dive forward and crush her into a hug. Because Ruby was stretching forward, her head was lower than Weiss’, so Weiss gently ran her fingers through Ruby’s hair.

“Now, I don’t expect to make all your doubts vanish overnight,” Weiss said gently, as they pulled apart. She scooted forward, putting a hand on Ruby’s knee. “Unfortunately, it seems that your problems, unlike mine, cannot be simply thrown against a wall and defeated in one shot.”

“To be fair, it did take like three or four swings, for most of ‘em,” Ruby said with a quiet laugh.

“Point taken,” Weiss chuckled. “Still - this seems like a lot, and I probably can’t fix all of it for you. Certainly not in one day, as much as I certainly wish that I could.”

Ruby’s smile was tender, understanding, and very, very grateful.

“But still, I hope that this helped - at least when it comes to me,” Weiss said.

“It does,” Ruby nodded, her eyes a little wet. “I… thanks, Weiss. This whole thing has been on my mind for so long, I just… I think I  _ really _ needed that perspective.”

“You’re very welcome,” Weiss said with a grin. “I’m very, very glad that I could help  _ you _ with something for a change.” Ruby giggled at that.

“Don’t get used to it,” she laughed.

“Don’t underestimate me,” Weiss threatened.

“Fine, fine,” Ruby relented, with a smile. “Should I start the popcorn, or are you gonna fix any more of my underlying psychological problems?”

Weiss rolled her eyes. It was a bad joke, and they both knew it, but it had worked. 

“Just one more little thing,” Weiss said. “Like I said last night, I… I’ve noticed that you’re really hesitant about things like touching or holding me unless I initiate them, or unless I ask.”

Ruby gave a semi-affirmative shrug, looking away.

“That’s… yeah. That’s a part of this whole mess. I just dunno what you’re okay with, and in what moment, so I always wanna lean on the safe side...”

“I figured as much,” Weiss said. “In that case, I’ll offer you this.” She took a breath. “Like I said last night, I enjoy snuggling with you, too - Human Ruby  _ and _ Wolf Ruby are both very soft and warm.” 

Ruby blushed at the compliment.

“So, Ruby Rose, I am telling you right now - I would very much like for you to initiate snuggling with me when you want to. If you’re unsure about what I want or how I’m feeling, then please ask me, and I’ll never be upset with you for doing so. But, and I do mean this in a  _ purely literal, non-euphemistic sense… _ it’s okay for you to touch me.”

Weiss’ cheeks reddened - while she wanted to be certain that Ruby didn’t interpret her words in the euphemistic sense, even acknowledging the euphemism at  _ all _ still brought it to mind. Weiss wasn’t even necessarily opposed in  _ theory, _ but this moment wasn’t really about that, and…

“Okay,” Ruby said, helpfully pulling Weiss out of her thoughts before she spiralled down that rabbit hole any further. Her eyes refocused to a  _ very _ welcome sight - finally, for the first time in two days, she saw one of Ruby’s trademark thousand-watt smiles.

“I’ll try that.” She paused for a moment. “Thanks again, for… for all of this, Weiss.”

“It was my pleasure,” Weiss said.

She’d happily do anything for one of those smiles.

  
  


Around three minutes later, Ruby returned to the bed with a fresh bowl of popcorn, plus another bag of Weiss’ favorite candy, upon request. She scrolled through her laptop for a moment, looking for an action movie that Weiss hadn’t seen, and queued it up. 

She sat back down on the bed, careful not to spill any popcorn. When the bowl rested safely in her lap, she put a slow, gentle arm across Weiss’ shoulders.

“Is… is this okay?” Ruby asked.

“Yes,” Weiss immediately confirmed. She nestled her head into Ruby’s shoulder, her new favorite spot in the world. Her chest began to buzz with a warm, satisfied feeling, and while she wasn’t quite ready to express her full feelings to Ruby  _ just _ yet… Weiss somehow felt bold enough to take a quiet little risk.

“Oh, how’re you liking movie night so far?” Ruby asked, delaying Weiss’ plans for a slight second. “I was wondering if you wanted to start doing this every new moon…”

She reached up with her arm, gently pulling Ruby’s face just a little bit closer down. 

Tilting her head up, she placed a very quick and light kiss on Ruby’s cheek.

She pulled away almost instantly, though she did allow herself a teensy smile of satisfaction when she noticed that Ruby’s entire face had gone scarlet almost immediately.

Weiss settled back into Ruby’s chest as if nothing had happened at all, answering her question.

“I would like nothing better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we are! I sincerely hope you enjoyed - it was honestly quite a relief for me to finally close the loop between these two, at least for the most part.  
> Also, if you're wondering about the rest of Blake's backstory, don't worry, it's on its way! I just really wanted to take my time with these two first. Don't worry, Bee fans, there's plenty more to see with Blake and Yang!  
> Regardless, thank you all once again for reading, and I hope to see you again in the next chapter.
> 
> -Red


	15. The Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight trigger warning, again - the first piece of this chapter is *extremely* intense and emotional, probably more so than any moment in this fic. It's not as much violent as it is quite apprehensive and stressful. The rest of the chapter afterwards does calm down, but still, just be careful as always, and don't forget to take care of yourself.
> 
> With that out of the way, please enjoy this chapter of the Werewolf of Beacon...

Ruby stiffened.

“What is it?” Weiss asked. 

“Something’s wrong,” she replied. “Do you smell that?”

Weiss sniffed at the air, but she couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary.

“No,” she said. “All I can smell is your popcorn.” The bowl was now mostly empty, as they had nearly finished up their second movie of the evening. 

“Just… give me a second,” Ruby said quietly. The suspicion in her voice made Weiss apprehensive, and as Ruby hopped off the bed to warily approach their door, Weiss stood to pause the movie on Ruby’s computer. She then took a short moment to check her scroll, which she had left on her bed.

When she flipped the device over, she panicked.

Dozens of text messages and calls from her father instantly greeted her as the screen lit up. Silently freaking out, she opened the text messages, her heart stopping as she read the most recent one. It was so simple, and yet so terrifying.

_I’m on my way._

“R-Ruby,” Weiss stuttered, her voice small. 

Ruby instantly turned, crossing the floor to Weiss in four long strides, wrapping her up in her arms. 

“What is it?” she asked, her tone unwaveringly serious.

Wordlessly, Weiss showed her the screen, causing Ruby’s face to darken so heavily that for a moment, it was as though Blake had redrawn those thunderclouds back on her cheeks. 

“He-he’ll be here,” she said dumbly.

“Shh,” Ruby said, pulling Weiss’ body up against her chest. Her fingers tangled in Weiss’ hair. “He can’t just take you. The proctors at the front won’t let him in, and you’re a legal adult now - he can’t compel you to do anything.”

“He sent _seven men_ after us last time, Ruby,” Weiss whimpered. “And - with today, he… he has to _know,_ doesn’t he? That you won’t be able to protect me?”

“I _will,”_ Ruby said. It sounded like a vow. “Sure, I… I can’t change, but I _swear to the moon,_ I will not let that man lay a finger on you.”

Weiss looked up at her, nodding shakily. Ruby met her eyes - her face was hard, but those gorgeous silver orbs remained tender. “Do you want me to call Blake and Yang?” she asked. She sniffed at the air again, her features somehow darkening further.

“He… he’s _here,_ isn’t he?” Weiss asked. Her voice would have sounded accusatory if it wasn’t so shaky. _“Tell_ me, Ruby. Don’t you dare lie to me.”

Ruby’s shoulders fell a little bit. “He’s here,” she admitted. “I can text Blake and Yang - they’ll be on their way in a heartbeat, I know it.”

“Will they…” she stopped, unable to vocalize it. “He’s met them - they’ll be in danger…”

“Okay,” Ruby said quietly. “I… Yang’s gonna be mad at me, but…”

“I don’t care,” Weiss pouted. She hated how childish she sounded. “I… I _can’t_ endanger them.”

“I know,” Ruby said. Her hand carded through Weiss’ hair again. “I know.”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Is he… moving?” Weiss asked. “Can you tell if he’s getting closer?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Ruby admitted. “It’s hard to tell - I think he’s still a ways off. Floors down, maybe.” She sniffed at the air again, her eyebrows furrowing. “He smells… _ancient,”_ she remarked absentmindedly.

Once again, Weiss found herself jealous of Ruby’s nose. At first, she thought it was just because Ruby was a werewolf, but after noticing her ability to pick up on the deer first during their hunt, and after experiencing life as a were herself, she was starting to understand that Ruby’s perception, even for a werewolf, was basically supernatural.

“What does that mean?” Weiss asked. “He’s only, like… forty.”

“Sure, but…” Ruby sniffed at the air once more to confirm. Her face paled upon a realization. “Do you…” she shook her head. “Remember what Professor Oobleck told us, about what makes vampires stronger?”

“He said it was age, right?” Weiss said. Her emotions somewhat faded as a rational side of her brain took over. “Winter told me that she felt pretty weak when she was first Turned, but she got stronger over time. Then when Robyn made her a daywalker, she felt like it stagnated, and even now she can’t lift much more weight than she could when she was human, but…”

She met Ruby’s eyes. “I _saw_ my father in direct sunlight. Even Winter or Robyn would be hurt if they were just wearing a bathing suit. He _couldn’t_ have been a vampire for too long…”

The rational part of her brain, its job now completed, began to fade, as the emotional part resumed control, with her realization serving as a new source of fear. If that was the case, then why did he smell so ancient?

“I don’t know,” Ruby said finally. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter right now. I… I’ll be here for you. He won’t get anywhere close to you, I swear.”

There was a very heavy pause between them.

“You can’t promise that,” Weiss said quietly.

Ruby met her eyes with a challenge, but she didn’t disagree.

Weiss inhaled, forcing herself to calm down. Rationally, she knew that the proctor at the front wouldn’t let Jacques enter without a resident to sign him in, and she prayed that no student who lived in the building would be stupid enough to do it for him on their way up. 

However, she also knew that at the end of the day, the proctor was just a person, and her father was a powerful creature of the night. If he didn’t feel the necessity to maintain appearances, that singular human person, with no idea what they were up against, likely wouldn’t be able to overpower him in a straight fight. They probably had the means to call campus police, but would they get here in time?

He hadn’t been around to move Weiss in, which probably meant that he didn’t know which room was hers. He’d found her building, sure, but maybe he found that from a university email about the particular move-in procedures for her building. Beacon’s administration had sent it to him, assuming that the person Weiss had put in her “Parent/Guardian email address” field in her contact information would actually be there on her first day. That email hadn’t had her room number, right? It had been a separate email. It must have.

Weiss forced herself to take another breath.

Her father was just a man. He may be a vampire, but he was just one man.

She had faced him before - refused him before.

Ruby had fought _seven_ men that he sent to take her, surviving two stab wounds in the process.

Weiss _refused_ to sit idly by and let Ruby do everything for her. 

At one point or another, she knew she’d have to face him.

Apparently, that day was today.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked, as she unceremoniously left Ruby’s embrace. “What is it?”

“I’m calling him,” Weiss replied, businesslike.

 _“What?”_ Ruby asked. Her shock appeared to be equally based upon the cold, emotionless tone of Weiss’ voice, and the actual implication of her statement.

“I’m putting a stop to this,” Weiss said. “I’m a werewolf - he can’t Turn me. I don’t need his money anymore, or at the very least I _refuse_ to ask for another cent. I won’t be beholden to him. Winter and I are going to do everything that we can to emancipate Whitley - she has a friend who does family trials like this from law school. After that, I can get a restraining order or _some_ thing and then I’ll never have to hear from him again.”

She was proud of how calm and even icy her tone was.

Ruby had broken through that barrier of hers weeks ago, and Weiss had gladly let her. Blake and Yang were already past it, too. But while that may be true…

It was at least handy that she could still put it back up when she needed to. 

Weiss grabbed her scroll. Ruby, once again careful to touch her, simply stood near Weiss, making her presence known. The concern in her posture made Weiss stop for a moment, as it was clear she had something to say.

“Are you _sure?”_ Ruby asked solemnly. Weiss could tell that Ruby wasn’t about to stop her - she was just worried. Weiss had to clench her fist to prevent her heart from melting at Ruby’s concern. Now wasn’t the time for that emotion.

“Yes.” Weiss said. Her voice was like steel.

Ruby’s eyes closed, as if she’d been expecting that response. She let out a tiny huff of a breath, and then nodded. “Okay. Okay, Weiss.” She said. She held up a finger. “I’m still not leaving your side for one single second, and I swear, if he somehow gets in here, I’m going to protect you with my life.”

It wasn’t a request. 

Weiss just nodded, refusing to acknowledge the emotions that crept up at Ruby’s dedication. 

“I know.” She said. She put the scroll up to her ear.

Ruby took a faltering step towards her, appearing to (perhaps even subconsciously) want to hug Weiss once more. Another version of Weiss would have appreciated the comfort of her arms during this time, but this version found herself unable to. Ruby, sensing this, paused, and turned instead. She went to their closet, and Weiss watched her begin to change clothes.

She tilted her head at the bizarre behavior, until she saw Ruby pull out her motorcycle boots. Her bulky red hoodie also came off, in favor of a sleek, form-fitting tank top.

She was dressing for a fight.

Weiss heard a dial tone on the other end, still eerily calm. It rang once, before the line picked up.

“Hello, Father,” Weiss said curtly, interrupting his greeting. “Can I help you this evening?”

Silence hung in the air from the other end for a moment.

“Good evening, Weiss,” the voice on the other end replied, smooth and silky as always. Weiss was impressed at how well he was masking what she was all too certain was rage. 

Perhaps that’s where she’d gotten it from.

“May I have a word with you?” Her father asked, as if he were pulling her aside at a party because he disapproved of her dance partner.

“We’re speaking now,” Weiss said flatly. “What did you wish to discuss?”

The line was quiet again, but Weiss could have sworn that she heard a miniscule, frustrated growl. She allowed the ghost of a smile to creep at the corner of her mouth - she was going to make sure to push that advantage.

“It’s a sensitive, _family_ matter,” her father replied. His emphasis on the word ‘family’ told Weiss everything that she needed to know. “I would prefer to discuss it in person.”

“I’m afraid I’m not available in person at the moment,” Weiss replied. She hadn’t checked her nails, but her almost bored tone implied that she had. “Is the matter so sensitive that it truly can’t be discussed over the phone? I recall that this line is very secure.”

Something appeared to break, slightly, in Jacques. She didn’t even _hear_ it, per se - Weiss almost _felt_ his anger boil up, a like a tangible force, over the phone. Instead of yelling, Jacques’ voice actually quieted, but every single word dripped with gallons and gallons of venom.

“Listen to me _very_ carefully, girl,” Jacques spat, his disgust thickening the air. “I am _done_ playing games with you. You will come downstairs and attend me to my car this _instant_ or I swear that I will -”

“You’ll _what,_ Father?” Weiss asked, unimpressed. She hadn’t been looking at Ruby, per se, but she was in Weiss’ general field of unfocused vision, and even _she_ stopped cold at that, shocked by Weiss’ calm, almost bored interruption. “Will you stop paying my tuition at Beacon, like you have already? Will you cancel all of my cards, like you did three days ago? Will you not allow me to return to the mansion, something I will never do again in a thousand years? Do tell me, please. I’m a legal adult now - you can try whatever you like, but you have no sway over me or any of my decisions.” Her calm, matter-of-fact voice finally hardened as she added two little words. “Not anymore.”

Weiss had expected another silence, or even yelling. She had _never_ spoken back to him like this - even Winter hadn’t, and Winter had been bold enough to knock their father unconscious by drinking a pint of his blood. 

Instead, Jacques’ neutral tone returned, his voice smooth as the finest silk.

“Or I’ll take that little redheaded wolf of yours and put her head on a pike.”

Weiss gasped, her resolve shattering. The carefully-crafted suit of armor that she’d worn into this battle with her father turned to dust at his words, as the image he’d described of Ruby stole the breath from her lungs and brought tears to her eyes. Weiss went from infinitely powerful to empty and broken, paralyzed at the horrible concept.

“N-no…” she finally whispered. 

“Oh, please,” her father said, already bored of his victory. “She may be a fighter, I’ll give her that. But you and I _both_ know that that mutt can’t protect you forever.” His voice became just a little bit more snide, as he added, “She can’t change tonight - did she tell you that? For twenty-four hours, all wolves lose their teeth. It’s a shame, really. They think themselves so powerful, but their weaknesses are all too easy to exploit.”

Weiss was hardly listening. Her knees were weak, her body hot with sweat. She hadn’t made much of a sound, so Ruby was yet to notice, still lacing her boots. It felt like they were a thousand miles apart, as if Jacques had somehow already begun to take her away.

Weakly, Weiss reached for her, her arm not even strong enough to extend its full length.

“Please,” Weiss said, her voice barely a whisper. “D-Don’t…”

“If you come quietly, then the stupid wolf will be spared,” Jacques said calmly. “I will be there soon. Don’t make this difficult for me, or she _will_ pay the price.”

And with that, he hung up.

Weiss just stood there, shaking. Ruby looked up at her, immediately noticing her distress. Ruby gasped in surprise and ran to her, arms outstretched. Weiss crumpled into Ruby’s embrace, forcing her to basically catch her. At some point, the scroll fell from her hand, bouncing uselessly against the carpet.

“Weiss!” Ruby nearly shouted. “What happened? Are you okay?”

It was strange - even while being held there, safe in Ruby’s arms, Weiss felt as though they were miles apart.

“He - he’s coming,” Weiss said. “I… I have to go with him, I -”

 _“What?”_ Ruby shouted. “What did he do to you - did he put a spell on you or something? Weiss, you _can’t_ go with him - you _won’t_ \- _I won’t let you!”_

“Ruby!” Weiss said, stopping her. “It’s not that, it’s…” she took a choking breath. “It’s _you._ If I don’t go with him he’s going to hurt _you.”_

Ruby let out a low, angry growl, her previously concerned face tightening into an enraged mask. She spoke, her voice now deep and guttural.

“I’m not going to let that happen.” She said. She met Weiss’ eyes, still fully supporting her weight as Weiss’ legs refused to stay underneath her. “Weiss, we are _both_ staying right here. I don’t care what we have to do - I’m _not_ letting him take you and I’m _not_ going down without a fight.”

“Ruby, you _can’t,”_ Weiss said. “You _can’t_ fight him today - you can’t change!” She shook her head. “He’s already past the proctor, I could hear him taking stairs over the phone. You’re no match for him like this.”

Ruby scowled, her face admitting that Weiss was correct. Suddenly, her face brightened.

“Your sword!” Ruby said. “You pointed it at me when we first met - that could work! Right?”

Weiss just shook her head. “It’s for _fencing,_ Ruby. It’s not sharp, it’s not a weapon.”

“Fine!” Ruby said, frustrated. However, she remained gentle as she carefully put Weiss down on the floor. Weiss reached for her, not wanting to let go, but Ruby stood once more, heading to the kitchen. 

She reached into her knife block, pulling out the longest one - maybe eight inches of blade past the handle. She looked it over momentarily, satisfied with its weight and sharpness. 

“I hear that beheading vampires works,” Ruby muttered, almost to herself. “I can heal through most of his initial hits, too.”

“Ruby, please,” Weiss whimpered.

Ruby turned, gently walking over to her. She put the knife down on the floor, embracing Weiss one more time. She felt Ruby’s lips tenderly linger on the crown of her head.

“It’s gonna be okay, Weiss,” Ruby said into her hair. “Go hide in the bathroom. I can’t promise that it won’t be ugly, but I _can_ promise that I’ll be the last one standing.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Weiss said, her voice high-pitched and cracking.

“Weiss, he’s almost here, I can smell him,” Ruby said, matter-of-fact. “He’s on our floor now. I dunno how long the lock is gonna hold, but… please. I don’t want him to even see you until he’s dust.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. A pair of knuckles rapped on it three times, almost polite. The following voice, however, most assuredly was not.

“Weiss, open up this door this instant.”

Weiss couldn’t move a muscle. Ruby, still holding her, took the knife up in one hand, calling over her shoulder. “She’s not home,” Ruby replied, feigning ignorance. “Come back later.”

There was a pause.

“Well, well. Hello there, little wolf. I see you’ve grown rather protective of _my_ daughter.” Weiss could hear his scowl. “I know perfectly well that she _is_ there. Give her up peacefully and I won’t harm you. Resist, and I will not hesitate to kill anything or any _one_ who stands between me and what is _mine.”_

Weiss felt herself break at that statement, in a very odd way. She had somehow found something _beneath_ hopelessness, a state beyond abject terror and misery. Underneath her pain, her fear, she found something that she thought she’d lost.

Weiss found resolve.

“I was _never_ yours,” Weiss shouted. “Just leave us _alone!”_

At that, there was a brutal, swift kick at their door. The electronic lock held briefly, but the first kick was followed by another, and another. Ruby grimaced, starting to stand. But Weiss was too greedy to let Ruby leave her right now. She held on tight, not letting Ruby up. If this was going to end, she wanted - _needed_ \- Ruby in her arms while it did. 

Ruby turned to Weiss, about to protest, but Weiss held firm. In that instant, a final, powerful kick from Jacques splintered the wood of their door, forcing it to swing inwards. The metal arm at the top, meant to gently pull the door closed, swung wildly, broken free from its moorings. 

The door hung open, and there stood Jacques Schnee - polished white suit, red pocket square folded ever so perfectly. His snow-white hair and moustache, dyed to match the natural hue of his wife and children, was perfectly well-groomed, as if he were about to attend a business meeting. He placed his foot, clad in a white loafer, back down on the ground almost gently, standing before them with perfect posture. It looked like busting in their lock hadn’t even _really_ cost him much effort, if any.

His piercing blue eyes, full of utter hatred, took in the scene before him. Ruby, her body turned toward him, the knife clutched so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were white. She was still lowered down to the ground, as Weiss held her from behind, her arms clutching onto Ruby’s waist for dear life, refusing to let her stand. 

The scoff that Jacques made was almost one of pity.

“Final chance,” he said, as if he were asking them how they liked their tea. “Come now, Weiss. Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

Ruby’s low growl became much louder.

“She’s not going _anywhere_ with you.”

Jacques shook his head, disappointed in the misbehaving children. “That’s a shame,” he said. “I didn’t want to ruin this suit.” He calmly adjusted his dress shirt at the wrist and took a slow, menacing step towards them, his foot just on the edge of what separated the hallway and their room. He lifted his other foot off the ground, about to place it on the cheap tile of their miniscule kitchenette. Weiss closed her eyes, unable to watch.

“What?” Jacques asked, annoyed. Weiss blinked. She looked up, over Ruby’s shoulder, to find him standing there, still just outside their room. He reached his hand forward, and Weiss’ jaw dropped as it appeared to press against something solid. He put his shoulder against the invisible barrier, pushing, but it didn’t appear to budge. 

The knife fell from Ruby’s hand, and she slumped forward. For a terrified moment, Weiss was afraid that something had happened to her, but as a frantic, almost insane giggle emanated throughout the tiny space, Weiss realized that she was doubled over in _laughter._

“You fucking _idiot!”_ Ruby shouted, barely able to contain herself. “You can’t cross our threshold! You’re _not invited!”_

Jacques’ mask of hatred contorted itself into one of absolute, abject _loathing_ as he realized she was correct. Ruby, now practically hysterical from the absurd roller coaster of emotions that they had experienced, actually pointed her finger at Jacques and laughed further, the danger momentarily forgotten.

“He can’t enter a home uninvited!” She said, half mocking Jacques, half explaining it to Weiss. “You went through _all that trouble_ and you’re stopped by the stupid rules of what makes you powerful!”

 _“Silence!”_ Jacques roared. He straightened his coat, as if he could somehow reclaim an ounce of his lost dignity. “I may not be able to enter, but I can _make_ her leave.”

His cruel eyes focused on Weiss, and he curled a perfectly manicured, pale finger. His voice seemed to supernaturally echo as he commanded, _“Come here. NOW.”_

A barely-visible wisp of air seemed to travel from his finger, looping once before dispersing over Weiss’ forehead and face, like a puff of makeup powder. For a horrible moment, Weiss was reminded of the too-sweet sensation of drinking the blood of the vampire in that alleyway, barely more than a week ago. For that brief instant, she felt compelled to crawl forward, but she shoved the thought out of her mind with contempt. This time, there was something horrendously sour under the sweetness - it was as if her enhanced sense of taste was warning her, telling her that this compulsion was inherently _wrong._ Weiss blinked for the slightest moment to clear her vision, and once she did, she stared her father dead in the face.

“Go fuck yourself,” she said plainly.

Jacques’ eyes flashed with anger. He shook his head, his voice more forceful this time.

 _“Weiss Schnee,”_ he commanded. _“I am ORDERING you to come to me this very instant!”_

Weiss tried to cover her mouth and nose, but the puff of air still cascaded over her face, sneaking in through the smallest gaps. The pull was stronger this time, sweeter, more tempting. Weiss almost felt herself lean forward, ready to crawl (she had been compelled to approach, not stand) but Ruby just squeezed her wrist and pulled her back to reality in an instant.

“Your compulsions won’t work on me, Father,” Weiss spat. “I’m too strong for you.” She looked him dead in the eyes, giving him one final chance. “Leave. Us. Alone.”

Jacques took a hate-filled breath, his rage alone seeming to make the air a degree warmer. But he soon settled, as if this _entire_ affair had been a minor inconvenience for him in the grand scheme of things.

“Weiss, if you believe that I will simply let this go, then you have no idea the man your father is,” he said, his voice silky once more. To Ruby, he added, “Whatever it is you did to her to let her resist me, I _will_ undo it. I _will_ bring her to fulfill her destiny. And once I do, I will mount your filthy, mangy head on my wall. Mark my words.”

Ruby stood, helping Weiss to her feet as well. They held one another closely still, but they both stared him down. 

“If you come for us again, we _will_ fight you,” Ruby said. “Both of us.”

Jacques seemed to ponder that, looking from one of them to the other. He appeared to be almost contemplative, and his eyes found their way to Weiss’ right leg. Weiss briefly remembered that she’d changed into shorts for their movie night, and her hand absentmindedly covered the bite marks that were visible there. As she did, Jacques’ eyes widened before piercing through Ruby.

“What did you _do_ to her?” He demanded, as if he didn’t know. 

“It was _my_ choice,” Weiss said firmly. She moved her hand, refusing to hide the scar from him - now, it was a badge of pride. “Give _up,_ Father. I will _never_ be like you. We made sure of that.”

He scowled back at her, his hands tightening into fists.

“If you think I’m not powerful enough to remove that disgusting curse from you, then you have no idea what I am,” Jacques threatened. Weiss let go of Ruby for a moment, taking a step forward - still several feet away from the door, but close enough to prove that she wasn’t afraid.

“I know _exactly_ what you are, Father,” Weiss said. “I know what you’re trying to do to me. I know what you _have_ done to Winter. I promise you, neither of us wants _any_ part of it.” She crossed her arms. “No matter what you do, no matter what you’re capable of, we will fight you. Every single step of the way.”

Jacques scoffed, though he appeared to be genuinely taken aback by her affirmation, if only slightly. She looked past Weiss, gazing thoughtfully at Ruby. 

“So this is the little friend that you’re willing to defy me for?” He asked with a sneer.

“Ruby’s not my friend,” Weiss said calmly. She turned back to Ruby, whose face was ever so slightly confused by that statement, before Weiss took her hand, pulling her forward so that they were standing before Jacques, hand in hand.

“She’s family.”

Sirens began to wail outside their building, interrupting Jacques’ retort. He let out a low growl of frustration.

“Your move, tough guy,” Ruby said, almost a little smug. “You can leave us alone, or you can deal with the cops.”

“No number of _humans_ will ever be able to stop me,” Jacques scoffed.

“Sure they won’t,” Ruby said with a shrug. “But I _guarantee_ you, after breaking onto campus property with plans to assault two students, if you kill a _cop,_ your reputation will be ruined. Even if you manage to kill them all, you won’t be able to get off scot-free - people will know it was you.”

She leaned in just a little bit, her hand tightening around Weiss’. She interlocked their fingers.

“And I bet that your reputation matters _quite a bit_ to you, doesn’t it?”

Red and blue lights began to flash in through their windows. Jacques adjusted his collar - he appeared to know that they were right. He turned a brief, angry eye at Weiss, his look so calm and poisonous that it shook her to her core.

“This isn’t over.”

And like that, Jacques turned around, his body transforming instantly into mist, quickly floating down their hallway. Weiss closed her eyes in relief, but Ruby ran to their threshold, peeking her head out of the doorframe.

“How about you visit while there’s a moon next time, coward!” She shouted after him. 

She turned back to Weiss, who had crumpled to the floor, her energy and resolve completely melted. Ruby quickly dropped down beside her, cupping Weiss’ cheek and pressing their foreheads together.

“It’s okay, Weiss. It’s okay. We made it, and we’re both okay.” She let out a breath, as if she could hardly believe it herself. “See? Just like I promised.” Weiss nodded into her chest, unable to speak. She just gently held her roommate as the overwhelming emotion of it all made her begin to sob. Ruby calmly rocked her back and forth, comforting Weiss without any haste or judgment. The sirens still blared in their ears.

After a minute, Weiss managed to wipe her eyes and pull back, making Ruby stop to look at her. 

“He said he’d be back,” she managed.

“I know,” Ruby said gently, running her fingers through Weiss’ hair, still holding her. “And I swear to you, I will be beside you when he does.” Weiss looked up at her again, and Ruby delicately brushed away one of Weiss’ tears with her thumb. “I won’t leave your side for a moment, Weiss. Not when you need me.”

Weiss exhaled, trying to control her tears. She wasn’t doing a very good job, but Ruby didn’t seem to mind. When she finally managed to speak again, she asked a tiny question, her voice barely audible.

“Promise?”

Ruby’s response was instantaneous, and accompanied by a quick, warm hug.

“Promise.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


They spent a while there, huddled together on the floor. It felt like hours, but in reality, it was maybe sixty seconds at most. The sirens hadn’t been going on long, but to Ruby, it felt like an eternity. Time had seemed to slow as she comforted Weiss, and she was ready to sit there all night if that’s what Weiss needed.

Instead, though, there was a knock at their door.

Or, well, what was left of it.

Ruby’s head whipped up at the sound, her expression alone nearly enough to kill a man. If she was honest with herself, she’d been expecting Jacques, or maybe a police officer.

Instead, she found a tall, short-haired brunette with a fashionable outfit, notably including a black beret.

Ruby just started at the stranger, dumbfounded, until Weiss looked up to see what she had moved for. Weiss made a tiny, puzzled sound, asking, “... Coco?”

Ruby blinked. “Who?”

“Hi, I heard everything,” Coco said tersely. “Can I come in? We don’t have long.”

Ruby met Weiss’ eyes. 

“All due respect,” Ruby said, “We’d rather not give somebody express permission to cross our threshold.” 

Coco rolled her eyes, taking a quick step over their doorframe, then back.

“I _can_ do it, I just wanted to ask first. I was the one who called the cops - we don’t have long until they get here. I can slow things down for us, but not too much. I gotta be close to you guys to do it, so...”

Ruby gave a look to Weiss, who responded with a one-shouldered shrug. Taking that as good enough, Ruby flicked her head inwards, a silent indication of welcome. She sighed with relief, walking in and immediately plopping down on their tile floor. She took a black piece of chalk out from a pocket, and gestured that they both approach. When they did, She quickly began to draw a circle around the three of them - as an artist, Ruby was impressed at how even it was.

As soon as the circle was closed, Coco began to mutter something. The world outside the circle took on a shade of gray, and while there wasn’t much visual stimuli to confirm it, Ruby could have sworn that everything besides them began to slow down, as if time itself were lengthening.

“Uh… sorry,” Ruby murmured. _“Who_ are you again?”

“She’s our RA,” Weiss said numbly. “Remember the first night we moved in?”

“I’m also a witch,” Coco added, now that her mumblings - apparently an actual magic spell - were complete. She met Ruby’s eyes. “So _you’re_ the werewolf on this floor, huh?”

Ruby blinked. “I…”

“I overheard you shouting about it that night,” she said to Weiss. “I didn’t know if you meant it at first, and you looked human to me then, but…” she peered over her sunglasses, her brown eyes briefly flashing white. “You’re not just a human anymore, are you? You’re _both_ wolves, then?”

“I… yeah,” Ruby admitted dumbly. “Uh, how did you, um…” the whole situation was confusing enough that she just stopped there, hoping it was sufficient.

“Like she said, I’m your RA,” Coco said. “I took the job because I wanted time to set up around the building, and keep students safe from everything that goes bump in the night.”

“I’m… lost.” Weiss said. “Are you against weres or something?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t be dating one,” Coco said with a roll of her eyes. “I don’t care _what_ you guys are, you’re also students, and I took this job to protect you from…” she looked over her shoulder, out the hallway. “Shit like that.”

“Great job so far,” Ruby muttered.

“Right, yeah, let me just take on a _master freakin’ vampire_ without a moment to prepare,” Coco said sarcastically. “He’d rip my heart out and eat it in one bite. You two are lucky to be alive - _especially_ on a new moon.”

Weiss’ brow furrowed. “If you aren’t here to fight my father, then what do you want?”

Coco’s eyes flicked over to her. “I called the cops as soon as I noticed a vampire hypnotize the proctor downstairs through my arcane eye. I’m here now to make sure you two are okay, _and_ to make sure you have a good cover story for university police.”

“Well... thank you, I guess,” Ruby said. “Sorry, this is all -” 

“What’s an arcane eye?” Weiss interrupted. 

“Magic security camera,” Coco said, and Ruby could tell it was an oversimplification. “It’s invisible and I can see the lobby whenever I need to. Listen, that’s not the point - the _point_ is that the cops are gonna try and get you two to move somewhere else on campus for the night, and if it’s a temporary space it won’t be a _home.”_ They blinked at her. “From what I overheard, that’s the only reason you two are sitting here.”

“Fair enough, but we knew that,” Ruby said. She looked at Weiss. “I was gonna offer that we either go to Blake and Yang’s place, or to my dad’s.”

“Let’s go with Blake and Yang,” Weiss said. “The less time we spend outside tonight, the better.”

“Good idea,” Coco approved. “I can come with you guys, and bring some of my ingredients and spellbooks. I’ll put a ward up around wherever it is you two are going, in case that vamp sends a human to break in or something.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said with a nod. “We’d… we’d really appreciate that.”

Coco nodded. “Sorry we had to meet like this. I really wish I could have actually helped earlier, or warned you, but…” she stopped, realizing that this wasn’t important right now. “Anyways. That asshole broke into _my_ building and tried to seriously injure or even kill two of the people I’m trying to protect, so trust me, I’ll do whatever I can to help from a magical standpoint.”

“Sure,” Ruby said. She was curious about Coco’s apparent self-appointed mission, but that was a conversation for a later date.

“Right,” Coco said. She checked her watch. “We’ve got about a minute left on the spell, so let me ask - what do you two plan on telling the cops?”

* * *

“Good evenin’,” the detective said, sitting down in Ruby’s chair. His tone was surprisingly friendly, but stoic, and he had a slight accent. “I understand you girls had quite the experience tonight.”

“Bit of an understatement,” Ruby muttered. The detective’s eyes flicked to her for a moment, but went back to a neutral stance.

“I know it’s been a lot,” he said. “Stuff like this can be traumatizing, and I’d be happy to point you in the direction of the university’s trauma counselling services, and therapy. There are also some folks who can talk to your profs and tell them to let some due dates slide while you girls get your lives back to normal.” His eyes narrowed. “But first, it would _really_ help me and the rest of the force out -” he gestured with a hand at the five other uniformed officers in their tiny room, all carefully looking over the space itself. Coco was leaning against their bathroom door, her arms crossed. “- if you could tell us everything you saw tonight, so we can figure out what, _exactly,_ happened here.”

“We _know_ who this was,” Weiss said. Despite the warmth of Ruby’s arm on her shoulders and the comfort blanket that the police had draped over them, she was still shivering. “The man who did this was my father, Jacques Schnee.”

“Okay…” the detective said. He wasn’t _distrustful,_ per se, but he was certainly surprised. “I think I’ve heard that name somewhere before - Schnee Drillin’ Corporation?”

“Company,” Weiss corrected offhand. “But yes.”

He nodded. “So that makes you…”

“Weiss Schnee, daughter to Jacques and Willow Schnee, ex-heiress to the Schnee Drilling Company,” she said, irritated. “My father has a Wikipedia page, and it’s quite accurate. Trust me, you’ll find everything you need to know about him there.”

“We always do our research,” the detective said simply. “But, if you don’t mind my sayin’ so… this is a _lotta_ damage for a family dispute.” Weiss glared at him, causing him to raise his hands. “I’m not judgin’ - I’m just lookin’ for a motive.” He returned to his inquisitive posture, notepad at the ready. “So tell me - _ex_ -heiress?”

“Yes,” Weiss replied. While she had no love for her father, the added syllable to her title still irritated her. “Or, at the very least, I believe so. If it’s not official yet, I’m sure that it will be - he’s already cut me off from all of his finances.”

“Why’d he do that?” The detective prompted. Weiss sighed.

“My father never took much interest in my life. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn that he was a very busy man as I was growing up.”

The detective nodded. “Missed birthdays, that sorta thing?”

Weiss rolled her eyes, but nodded. Ruby gently rubbed her arm underneath the blanket.

“He expected me to attend Atlas University, like my sister, but as you can see, I’m here instead.”

“I take it he didn’t like that,” the detective observed dryly. “We’ll get back to your sister in a minute, but first - if he didn’t want you coming here, what convinced him? You’re here, ain’t you?”

“Yes,” Weiss said. “Truth be told, he didn’t take _much_ interest in me until I was already here. I expected him to resist my choice of Beacon over Atlas, but he didn’t pay it any mind.”

“At first.” The detective said.

“Yes, at first.”

“What changed?”

“A few weeks ago, my father attended Parents and Family Weekend.”

“That out of the ordinary?”

Weiss looked at him.

“For the eighteen years that I have been alive, I could count the number of times that my father has had a free weekend, _ever,_ on my fingers.”

“I see,” the detective said. “So why that weekend?”

“After I was done eating dinner with Ruby and her family,” Weiss began, “He came for me. He found this building.”

“Uh, not to interrupt, but speaking _of_ my family,” Ruby said, “Can I text my sister about all this? And tell her I’m okay?”

“Sure, kid,” the detective said. He turned back to Weiss as Ruby got up to grab her scroll. “What did he want for you?”

“He’d been calling,” Weiss said. “He took me back to his hotel in a limousine, telling me what a ‘disgrace to the family’ I was.”

“What pissed him off?” 

Weiss laughed.

“I had spent the evening with Ruby’s family, and not with him.”

The detective’s eyebrows went up. 

“That all?”

Ruby sat back down on the bed, using both hands to text. Her shoulder pressed against Weiss’, though, and she was happy for the contact. She pulled the blanket back over Ruby’s shoulders.

“Well,” Weiss said, “He was never exactly happy about us being seen around…” she searched for the euphemism he often employed. “...’working-class people.’”

The detective leaned back a bit, tipping his hat upwards with a thumb.

“I see,” he said, clearly holding back a verbal judgment of Jacques to maintain his professionalism. “So it was just that? You had a fun night out with friends?”

“Ruby’s sister brought her girlfriend to that meal, and she introduced herself as such,” Weiss added. “I could tell he was quite angry about that.”

“Just because your sister’s gay?” He asked in Ruby’s general direction. 

“That’s a possibility, yes,” Weiss explained. “If you do your digging, you’ll find… evidence of... _that.”_

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the detective noted. “Any suggestions on where we might start? If you’ve got somethin’ specific, that’d help us out.”

Weiss thought back for a moment. “Oh, before gay marriage was legalized, if an employee of the Schnee Drilling Company was in a domestic partnership, the insurance benefits weren’t extended to their partner _or_ their children,” Weiss explained. “There was a news story about it like ten years ago.”

The detective raised an eyebrow. “You remember that far back?”

“I remember how much yelling he did that night,” Weiss said plainly. “I came across the article a few years later when I looked him up.” That was a little white lie - Weiss remembered him throwing out a tirade of slurs one evening when she was eight years old, but Blake had found the article when she first started researching him.

“So, okay.” The detective said, relaxing his posture a bit. “Say he’s a homophobe. I legally can’t say whether that’s true at the moment, but let’s pretend he is.” Weiss nodded - she didn’t have to pretend, but she humored the man for the sake of his job. “And, if he’s a homophobe, he sees his daughter hangin’ out with a girl who’s datin’ another girl. That seems like somethin’ he’d get angry about, if his alleged homophobia was indeed true.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “But Parents and Family Weekend was a while back. And it seems like he yelled at you right then and there.”

Weiss nodded. 

“So what other kinda grudge could he potentially have?” The detective asked. “Because if that’s all his motivation, why today?”

By now, Ruby had finished her text to Yang, once again putting her arm across Weiss’ shoulders. Weiss leaned into her, grateful. The detective raised an eyebrow momentarily, and appeared to change direction slightly.

“Now, listen,” the detective said, levelling with them. “Here at Beacon, we all support all kinds of folks in all kinds of relationships. It’s not just policy, it’s the right thing to do.” Weiss blinked in surprise, hearing that - she hadn’t expected such a genuine, good-natured statement to come out of the man. He continued. “Me, I got a trans daughter at home, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

“That’s wonderful,” Ruby offered quietly.

“Thanks,” he said with a nod. He straightened. “So believe me, I might be a crusty adult, but I got eyes, and you can trust me about this kinda thing.” He looked between them, and jerked a thumb at the entryway. “So. Did your old man break down that door because he found out you two are datin’?”

Weiss’ eyes went as wide as dinner plates. A blush immediately filled her entire face, and she felt Ruby freeze up, completely motionless. In retrospect… it’s not as though they were being subtle about touching and holding each other.

“I…” Weiss began.

“Hey, like I said, no judgment here,” the detective added. “But _that,_ to me, would seem like much more of a motive - _if_ he really is against that type of relationship.”

“We’re… uh…” Ruby said.

“Ruby and I are... very close friends,” Weiss managed to explain. “And… well, I might be a lesbian, but I’ve never told him or anything…”

“Ah. Apologies for my assumption, then,” the detective said. Weiss could tell that he was able to read the rather… complex situation with her feelings about Ruby, from just that comment alone. “So, okay - but does he _know_ you’re not into guys? Or could he, in some way?”

“I… maybe,” Weiss said. “My older sister, Winter - she’s dating a woman, but that only started after she left the mansion for good…”

“And like I said, we’ll get to her,” the detective said patiently. “But I’m just lookin’ for somethin’ a little more concrete here.”

Ruby met Weiss’ eyes. It was time for their cover story.

“So, that evening, when he took me back to his hotel room,” Weiss said. 

“Parents and Family Weekend?” The detective asked. He idly licked a finger to turn the page of his little notebook.

“Yes,” Weiss said. “When we returned to his room, he started to lecture me about how much I was a ‘disgrace to the family,’ et cetera.”

“Sorry,” the detective sympathized.

“I’d heard it before,” Weiss said, brushing off the apology.

“So, to clarify - this is all still about being seen with _your_ older sister, and her girlfriend?” He asked, pointing the top of his pen at Ruby.

“It started that way,” Weiss said. “But his rants rarely finish in the same place that they start.” The detective gave her a nod, telling her to continue. “He quickly devolved into being angry with me for going to school at Beacon instead of Atlas, about my major -”

“Which is?”

“Political Science. He wanted Business.”

“Ah.”

“And… well. By the time his rant was over, he declared that he was taking me back to Atlas with him that morning, where I’d be taking an entry-level desk job at the SDC.”

The detective’s fingers tented as he finished taking down what she said. “I take it he didn’t offer you much choice.”

“None,” Weiss confirmed. “And for the very first time in my life, I refused.”

“Didn’t go over well?”

“No.”

“What’d he do?”

“He yelled more. Told me I didn’t have a choice. He eventually grabbed my wrist.”

The detective’s eyebrows went up. “He do that before?”

“No.”

“He ever hit you, your mom, your siblings? Throw anything, break anything of yours when he got angry?”

“Not that I know of. Not until now.”

“What happened after he grabbed you?”

“I pulled away,” Weiss said. “Or, well, I tried. He had his hand wrapped around my wrist, so instead of pulling away, I shoved forwards, and… I struck him in the chest.”

“Okay,” the detective said. “To clarify: did you punch him?”

“I would hardly call it that,” Weiss said. “He certainly wasn’t injured. All that mattered was that I got my wrist free.”

“And then?”

“And then I turned around and left the hotel.”

“Simple as that?”

“I thought so, at first.”

“Oh?”

“He… he sent a man after me that night. He found me walking back home, and he asked me to come with him and see my father.”

“What’d he look like?”

The detective took down her physical description.

“So a strange man walked up to you in the dead of night, telling you to come with him, and you didn’t call us? Or Vale PD?”

“I… no…” Weiss admitted sheepishly. “It just didn’t occur to me. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just... call us next time,” the detective said. “How’d you get away from the guy?”

“He wasn’t, like… insistent, in the physical sense,” Weiss said. She was annoyed at how this lie made her father appear slightly more reasonable, but they’d debated it - there was no other explanation she had for how she could have escaped a man like that in those circumstances.

“So he let you leave?”

“Well, I did scream at him,” Weiss hedged.

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘You can tell my father to go fuck himself,’” Weiss explained calmly.

“I see,” The detective replied. “So, then you make it home?”

“Yes,” Weiss said. “Then I saw the man once more the next week, walking home from a movie with Ruby, but we were able to cross the street before he got too close to us.” She paused. “That was last Friday, eight days ago.”

“And nothing from your father, until now?”

“Well, he _did_ cancel all of my cards and everything a few days ago,” Weiss said. “And I don’t believe he’s going to make my next tuition payment.”

“Sorry to hear that,” the detective said, his voice genuine. “If you talk to Student Financial Services, they can probably help you renegotiate things there.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said. “Though I’m not in any immediate danger - I was able to get control of a significant amount of the finances that are in my name, now that I’m eighteen years old. After seeing that man the second time, I called the stock broker who handles ‘my’ accounts, and was able to get full control of them.”

“How much?” The detective asked.

“Most of it’s in the stock market.”

“Gimme a guess, based on current values.”

“Two million? Two million and ten? Depends on how well that one tech company is doing.”

The detective let out a low whistle. “Do you think _that_ could have anything to do with it? I know the SDC is big, but still, that’s a _lot_ of money.”

“Honestly? I hadn’t considered it,” Weiss admitted. “I genuinely don’t know if my father has noticed that it’s gone. He didn’t mention it today or anything.”

The detective just shook his head, probably comparing the theoretical income of a man who didn’t notice when he lost two million dollars to his own yearly salary.

“Now sounds like as good a time as any to talk about what happened when he was actually _here,”_ the detective said. Ruby perked up, finally reaching a point where she was potentially able to answer questions. She’d been there for nearly every other event that they’d discussed so far, but they didn’t want to disclose that, or give conflicting information that would be suspicious.

“So, he somehow got in the building,” the detective asked. “Then what?”

* * *

“No, _you_ listen here,” Yang said, her eyes red with fury as she clutched the front desk. “My sister is the one whose room was _broken into_ \- Ruby Rose? I want to see her. Here’s the text she sent me!” Yang held up her scroll. “We’ve _both_ been here before, you can check the records. So just let us up, okay? I know you’ve got the rules and everything, but she’s my _sister_ -”

“The _rules_ are what prevent things like this in the first place,” the proctor said, firm. “Unless you’re signed in by a resident, I can’t allow you in. Especially this evening.” Considering that he was the one who had taken over while the police were questioning the guy who had been on duty while Jacques had gotten in, she had to admit that his strict adherence to the rules was warranted, but he was keeping her from Ruby.

“I’ll text her again,” Blake said, getting her scroll out. She noticed someone walking down into the lobby, and looked up.

“Hey,” a girl said. She was a remarkably fashionable brunette. Blake caught a whiff of _something_ on her, but let it go for now. “You two Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna?”

“That’s us,” Blake confirmed. The girl nodded and pulled out her card. 

“I’m Coco, Ruby and Weiss’ RA,” she said. “The police are still talking to them, but they let me come by and grab you.” She handed her card to the proctor, as the girls quickly dug out their own.

“Are they okay?” Yang asked, her eyes returning to their usual lilac. She still gave the proctor a glare.

“They’re holding up,” Coco said. “You two can take them back to your apartment for tonight, right?”

“Of course we can,” Blake said. “We heard in advance.”

“Great,” Coco said, leading them to the elevator. She called it, and the three of them stood there in silence until it arrived. They stepped in, and it was a bit awkward to share this apprehensive moment with a total stranger. As soon as the doors closed, Coco turned to them, her face now serious instead of the inexpressive mask that they’d seen earlier.

“So that bastard that came in here, hypnotized the old proctor to let him in, and busted their door in four kicks,” Coco said. “He also walked _right_ past my wards, like they were nothing. This guy means serious business.”

“I’m sorry, your _what?”_ Yang asked.

“You’re a witch, aren’t you?” Blake asked plainly.

“Got it in one,” Coco said. Yang looked at Blake, who shrugged. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t help your sister fight that lunatic off - I was totally unprepared for a freaking _master vampire_ to waltz through these doors. But once they’re all done with the cops and everything tonight, I can set up a few spells around your apartment to help keep you guys safe, or at least a little forewarned.”

“I…” Yang opened her mouth, and closed it.  
“Thank you,” Blake said. She gave Yang a sympathetic rub on the shoulder. “We can talk more later, but for now…”

“Yeah,” Coco said. “I get it - just wanted to say I’m here to help.”

The elevator dinged.

  
  


* * *

  
  


_“RUBY!”_ A voice shouted from the general direction of the elevator. Some of the police in the room perked up at the sound, confused.

“That’s my sister,” Ruby said. “You’re gonna want to let her in.” Two of the officers gave her a dubious look before the sound of heavy footfalls approached at an alarming rate, and a tall blond woman entered the ruined doorframe. One of the police officers moved on instinct to stop her, but Yang’s glare alone was so intimidating that he hesitated. Yang immediately pushed past all of the officers in the room, practically snatching Ruby away from Weiss to scoop her up in a hug.

“Ruby! By the -” she stopped herself from swearing on the moon, which would raise an eyebrow or two with their present company, and simply resolved to say, “You’re _okay!_ Are you hurt? What did he say to you?”

“I told you, we’re fine!” Ruby said, her voice muffled because her face was buried in Yang’s leather coat. 

“I know, I just…” she squeezed. “I swear, if that bastard had hurt you - _either_ of you…”

A voice behind her, at about waist height, cleared its throat. For a moment, Yang glared daggers at the owner of said voice, before realizing that it belonged to a police officer. Squeezing Ruby one more time out of spite, she gently placed her back down on her bed. Noticing Weiss, Yang put a hand on her knee, sympathetic. She didn’t say anything, but her concerns, worry, and unadulterated rage at what Jacques had done were evident in her look all by itself.

“Miss,” The detective finally said. “If you would allow us to continue our police business, we’d sincerely appreciate it.” When Yang hesitated, he added, “We’re almost done here, and then your sister will be free to talk to you as long as she wants. I promise.”

At this point, Blake and Coco had made it to the room as well, and Yang gave Ruby one final look, and graciously stepped backwards. “You two are welcome at our place for as long as you need,” Yang said, even though they both already knew that.

Blake gave Yang a wordless look, knowing already what was on her mind. She took a slight step backwards to brace herself for the hug that she knew Yang was going to tackle her into. 

“I’m gonna check on the other residents one more time,” Coco said, clearly wanting to leave them to their family moment. “Almost everybody was out partying - I mean, it’s a Saturday night and all, but…”

One officer turned, ready to accompany her. “I’m going with her,” she called after the detective, who just gave her a nod.

“One final question,” the detective said, “and I apologize for its rather... intense nature.”

“That’s sort of been the theme of the evening,” Weiss said with a shrug. The detective nodded, conceding the point.

“So, your attacker, allegedly Jacques Schnee - he broke through that door, but here you two are, relatively unscathed. You told me about the argument, sure, but… well. He must have - allegedly - come into this building with a hell of a violent intent, but he disappears instead, and both of you are here. What stopped him?”

“You’ve got it in an evidence bag,” Ruby said, gesturing to the officer that she had seen pick it up. “My dad got me a really nice set of kitchen knives for my high school graduation, and when _her_ dad bust in, I had the big one in my hand.”

“Did you threaten him with it?” The detective asked.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, bristling. “The man broke into our _home_. I was ready to defend myself - and her.”

“Sure, sure, I know that,” The detective said. “Don’t worry, it’d all be self-defense, all that - I’m not sayin’ you’re in trouble or anything.” He flipped another page in his notebook. Ruby was amazed that it hadn’t run out by now - they’d been at this for nearly an hour. “But were you pointing it at him, preventing him from coming closer?”

“Why does it matter?” Ruby asked, exhausted.

“Well, if my training at the academy has taught me anything,” the detective began, “It’s that _generally,_ when you point a weapon at somebody, if they’ve got one, they’ll point it back.” He leaned in. “We wanted to know if he was armed. I doubt he’d do something like this without at least having _something_ on him, but you girls haven’t told me about anything like that.”

Weiss shrugged. “We’re two eighteen-year-old girls. I don’t think he expected us to fight back.”

“But he _did_ bust the door down?”

“He told us to open it, first. He started kicking when we didn’t.”

The detective met her eyes at that, contemplative, but he shrugged.

“All righty,” the detective said, closing up his pad. “Well, thank you both for your statements.” He looked at an officer in the room. “You got Ms. Adel’s statement, right?” The officer nodded. 

“It was pretty short,” he said. “She didn’t see much, just enough to call us.” The detective nodded, finally standing up from Ruby’s desk chair.

“Well, ladies, thanks for your time this evenin’,” he said. “I promise, we’ll do a very thorough investigation here, up to and including a coordinated effort with Vale and even Atlas PD to make sure we cover all our bases.”

“Good luck,” Weiss snorted. Ruby gave her a look, and she shrugged. “My father has a team of something like twenty lawyers. He’s been taken to court for unsafe mining conditions and even for things like fraud and tax evasion, but nothing sticks. Don’t get me wrong, I _hope_ that you all can get him, but… I doubt it.”

“That remains to be seen,” the officer said plainly. “The security camera footage in the lobby will likely give us some pretty incriminating stuff, but we can’t be certain until we review it. Either way, thank you both once again for your time.” He reached into the front pocket of his uniform, pulling out a small white rectangle. It read “Detective Joe O’Brien, Beacon College Police Department,” and had his phone number beneath that. “Here’s my card. You can call me specifically if you remember any details, or you can call Beacon PD if you feel unsafe.” He looked in Yang’s direction. “You’re the sister, right?”

“I am,” Yang said, arms crossed. 

“And Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are staying with you this evening?”

“We’d really prefer that to being anywhere on campus,” Ruby said. “I mean… he found our building.”

“I understand,” Detective O’Brien said. “And while policy would normally suggest that we have you girls sleep in the station, at least for tonight... considering what you’ve been through, as well as the weekly pattern of events that you’ve described, _and_ that neither Beacon nor Vale PD has seen anyone matching his description out and about anywhere…” he gave them a small smile. “I think it’d be better for you girls to stay somewhere that’s a bit more comfortable. Some Residential Life contractors are gonna be around tomorrow to fix your door. They estimated about three days, but they’ll update you.”

They all gave him a grateful nod, but he held up a finger.

“One more thing before I fully sign off on this,” he said, looking once more at Yang. “I’d like for you to give us your address, so we can pass it along to Vale PD. That way, they’ll park a squad car across the street for the next twenty-four hours, and if nothing happens, we’ll have somebody just drive by nice and slow, a few times a day, until you two are back here, or if we catch our guy.”

Yang looked at Blake, who shrugged, indicating that she didn’t mind.

“Fine by me,” Yang said. “Lemme write it down for you.”

Once that was done, the police officers all cleared out, leaving the five girls in the room, though one stayed by the door to escort them to Blake and Yang’s apartment. This meant that they weren’t going to really let Coco come along (as far as they knew, there was no reason for it) but she’d just given Weiss a nod, indicating for her not to worry, which she supposed she trusted. Coco had insisted on exchanging numbers with all of them, though.

“Thank you very much,” Detective O’Brien said. “And I promise, we’ll get to the bottom of this for you as fast as we can.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, trying not to let doubt fill her voice. After all, she didn’t really think that a mundane police force would be able to catch a man with an excessively robust legal team _and_ the apparent ability to turn into a cloud of mist at will, but she appreciated the effort all the same. If nothing else, this would at _least_ inconvenience her father on the human side of things.

“Have a safe night,” the detective said, tipping his hat to them as he left.

* * *

“Have a safe night,” the officer said, “and call us if you need anything.”

“We’re all set, thank you,” Yang said, her hand on the door. The officer nodded, and _finally,_ the four of them were alone in Blake and Yang’s apartment.

“What do you guys wanna do for dinner?” Blake asked.

Ruby shrugged. “No way I’m up for cooking tonight, so… pizza?”

Before anyone could agree or disagree, they were all interrupted by the sudden sound of an exhalation, coming from the middle of the room. All four girls nearly jumped out of their skin as Coco, now standing there when she hadn’t been just a a second prior, doubled over, hands on her knees.

“Ugh, I’ve never been invisible for that long,” she said, catching her breath. “I thought he’d _never_ leave!”

The three of them stared at her, but Ruby was unsurprised.

“What, you guys didn’t smell her walking behind us the whole time?” She asked. They shook their heads, and Ruby shrugged.

“She… she really _is_ a witch,” Yang whispered.

“I wasn’t kidding,” Coco scoffed. She appeared to regain her composure. “So, first things first, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s no way your dad is showing up on that security camera. It’s got mirrors in it, so…”

“No reflection?” Weiss asked tiredly. Coco just nodded.

“So we’re just - we’re accepting this.” Yang said. “There’s just a witch standing in our apartment. Everyone’s on the same page there? Nobody’s freaking out that magic is apparently real?”

There was a pause.

“I mean…” Weiss began. “In August I thought there was no such thing as magic, and now in early October, I’m a werewolf, my father is a vampire, and my sister is a daywalker, so…” she let out a little laugh. “I guess I’m sort of immune to being surprised at this point.”

Yang just shook her head.

“Okay, Witch Girl,” she said.

“Coco,” the brunette huffed. 

“Whatever. You said you can do spells on our apartment.”

“It’s not much,” she admitted. “If I had more time or ingredients, I could set up more, but I wanna save what I can to fortify the Beacon dorms, too…”

“We get it,” Blake said. “You wanna save your stuff for the rooms that _aren’t_ occupied by four werecreatures, who can mostly fend for themselves for the next month.”

Coco nodded gratefully. She was already opening a pouch on her hip, pulling out some ingredients.

“Still, I can do some cursory stuff,” she said. “I can only have one arcane eye at a time, and I’d _really_ rather keep that in the lobby for now.” She let out a little laugh. “Plus, I doubt you want me to literally always be able to see everything happening in your living room.”

“No thanks,” Yang said.

“Yeah. Still, I can put up a few small wards and things, charms that make vamps feel unwelcome. I can put an alarm on your door, too.”

“What, like… something that’ll make sound?” Ruby asked.

“Not as such,” Coco said. “I’ll give the four of you a phrase to say when you enter or leave - if somebody tries to use the door without saying it, then I’ll know. No sound or anything, so they won’t know they’ve been detected.”

“What if we forget to say it?” Yang asked. Blake gave her a look, but she shrugged. It was a valid question.

“Text me,” Coco said. “If somebody actually trips it, then _I’ll_ probably be texting all of you.”

“Thank you, Coco,” Weiss said, sincerity in her voice. “I… I already had these three, but… I’m very thankful that you’re willing to help me deal with my father.”

“Don’t mention it,” Coco said. She paused, apparently choosing to share something. “My, uh… my mom was a witch, too. She was really good with blood magic - I never had a taste for that stuff, it really grossed me out. I was worried about her, because she was stockpiling rare blood in high quantities for her spells.”

“What does blood magic do?” Ruby asked quietly.

“Same stuff as my magic, only more,” Coco said. “The quality of the spell is based on the quality of the ingredients - and blood is best for channeling really intense stuff.” She looked at their ceiling with a sigh. “Mom could scry on the other side of the planet if she wanted to.”

She shook her head, clearing out the memory. “Anyways… somebody let slip that they’d been delivering rare, highly sought-after blood - stuff like ‘blond virgin girl who’s AB negative,’ like _really_ specific - to the same place, and…”

“Vampires came,” Ruby said darkly. Coco nodded.

“They raided her whole stock. Drank her and killed her themselves - magic-users apparently taste _great.”_

Weiss slowly nodded, understanding. “So now you hate vampires?”

“Not vamps necessarily,” she admitted. “I’m just… _really_ not fond of people who use their supernatural powers to prey on others.” She let out a sigh. “Though it did take me a while to get that nuanced.”

They all let Coco’s story hang in the air for a moment. She began to set up her ingredients, drawing another circle on the ground in chalk. Yang made a face - they paid higher rent because of the nice wood floors - but Blake placed a soothing hand on her arm. Weiss remembered that the circle that Coco had made in their apartment vanished when her spell was completed, which was probably for the best, as the officers would have seen it otherwise. When she appeared to reach a stopping point, Weiss got up, carefully sitting down in front of her.

“I… thank you, Coco,” she said. “For helping us, and for sharing.”

“It’s what I do,” the girl said with a shrug. “But you’re welcome.”

“Can _we_ do anything for _you?”_ Ruby asked. “I - I feel bad, this whole thing has kinda taken up your entire evening…”

Coco finally let out a little smile.

“Well, I heard there would be pizza…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fair amount of people saw Jacques' return as inevitable, but I hope that Coco's was a bit more of a surprise - I didn't *just* put her in the character tags for her one-off appearance in the first chapter. I hope everyone is excited to see what her witchy powers bring, as well as what's up with Jacques' apparent vampiric prowess...
> 
> Also, Weiss and Ruby may not be fully ready to confess to one another, but at this point it's becoming so obvious that even the police detective could see it. I also tried giving him a bit more of a unique speech pattern than other characters, after a stereotypical Chicago cop, which is the accent I hope everyone gave him in their heads. I also wanted to include that little detail about his daughter because I can - trans rights, by the way :p 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! I know I've been establishing a *lot* each chapter, but I hope this one felt more focused mainly on just one event instead of split between two or three, as a few past chapters have been. Either way, thank you once again for reading!
> 
> -R


	16. Office Hours

“Professor?” Weiss asked, knocking on the open door to a tiny office in a building that she’d never been to before.

“Ah, Miss Schnee!” Professor Oobleck said. He began clearing a mess of papers off of his desk, and frowned when he realized that his coffee mug had left a ring on the top corner of one of them. “Please, come in, come in! How can I help you?” He continued fussing over his workspace, making it as presentable as he could, given the circumstances.

Weiss gingerly stepped inside. 

The office was miniscule - perhaps half the size of the room she shared with Ruby, not including the bathroom or kitchen. The professor’s desk was a thin, white surface coming out of the wall to her left, taking up just enough of the center of the room that walking past it must be a squeeze. There was plenty of legroom underneath, though, save for the thick grey pillar that supported the end not connected to the wall. The wall side of the desk curved all the way to the far left corner, supporting a bulky desktop computer that was  _ just _ short enough to fit under the metal cabinet the wall above. In the nearer corner to her left, by the door, was a very small fridge. The entire wall to Weiss’ right was dominated by a huge floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, packed to the brim with volumes. Across from the professor himself was a short chair in the style that Weiss had seen around various classrooms on campus.

The office was carpeted with a dull grey, with only a few abstract squiggles of red, green, and yellow to break up the monotony. The wall behind where the professor sat was taken up entirely by a massive picture window, and (considering that it was the middle of the day) the blinds were shut tight.

Weiss actually had to scoot the chair in to shut the door behind her.

“I was actually hoping to ask you about some… non-academic information,” Weiss hedged, sitting down. The professor had finished cleaning up the stack of papers between them, and he now let his elbows rest on the table, taking a long sip from his coffee mug. Weiss noticed his usual thermos sitting a bit precariously on the windowsill behind him. When he finished, the professor gave her a smile over his glasses.

“We can speak quite plainly here, Miss Schnee.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Then if it’s all right, may I let my ears and tail out?” He nodded, and she did so, stretching her back a little bit. She’d been rather uncomfortable with them forced in all day during the new moon, and was taking any chance she could to let them breathe since then.

“Would it be fair to presume that you’ve come to ask about your father, or vampires in general?” Oobleck asked. His face softened. “Tai informed of the dreadful experience that you and Miss Rose went through two nights prior - I was also emailed an official communication from the university, asking me to grant both of you any extensions you request, which I assume is related.”

Weiss nodded, absentmindedly stroking her tail while it was curled up in her lap.

“I figured - and I’m dreadfully sorry for both of you, but very glad that you remain here in one piece.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said. “This is actually the first place I’ve gone by myself since that night, though Ruby has a class right across the quad. It’s a three-hour studio, but she was going to walk me home afterwards.”

“Unfortunately, I  _ do _ have a lecture in about…” he checked his watch.  _ “One _ hour, but you have all of my free time until then.”

“That’s okay,” Weiss said. “Ruby’s professor said it was all right if I just study quietly while everyone paints, so I won’t be alone.”

“That’s good, that’s very good,” the professor replied. “So - what did you want to ask me?”

Weiss let out a breath. “Well, apologies if it’s a bit difficult for you to talk about, but… I was hoping you could tell me everything you know about, er… fighting vampires.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Schnee, you’ve come to the right place. I trust you not to use any of this information against me.” He let out a chuckle. “I imagine that if you’d come here to kill me, you would have simply raised the blinds.”

“Yes, quite,” she laughed. Talking with the professor was honestly  _ nice _ \- she adored Ruby, and always enjoyed Blake and Yang’s company, but Oobleck’s somewhat formal speech patterns and mannerisms reminded her of the very,  _ very _ few enjoyable conversations that she’d had during events in the Schnee manor. He was just... charming, in an odd way.

“So, I already know a few things,” Weiss began. “I know about sunlight from Robyn and Winter - ah, my sister and her girlfriend are vampires as well. Daywalkers, actually.”

“Mm,” the professor hummed through his coffee. “That’s quite rare.”

“Robyn used her blood to make Winter a daywalker - she was... er, a ‘normal’ vampire, first?”

“Ah, I see - and the industry term is ‘pureblood,’” the professor said. “Though I imagine that that’s because a fair amount of vampire lexicology was standardized by western Anima’s aristocracy in the mid-1400s or so, and that lot was rather concerned with the ‘purity’ of their bloodlines.”

“My father would fit right in,” Weiss muttered. “Anyways, last night, we also learned that my father is apparently able to, well… ‘hypnotize’ other people.”

“Mm, yes,” Oobleck said gravely. “I’m afraid that that ability does find its way to a fair amount of vampires, once they become proficient enough with vampirism in general.”

“It didn’t work on me, when he tried it,” Weiss said. “I felt a little pull, but shook it off. He tried again a second time, and it was stronger, but Ruby snapped me out of it with just her touch.” Oobleck raised an eyebrow. “So why could I resist him when humans apparently can’t? Is it because I’m a werewolf?”

“In a sense, that’s likely,” Oobleck mused. “Werecreatures are gifted with supernatural senses. Vampiric ‘hypnosis,’ as I understand it, is actually based a bit more around pheromones. You’ve ingested vampire blood, correct?” He said it as though he were asking whether she’d had a particular flavor of ice cream.

“I have. It was so horribly sweet, like trying to eat a pound of fudge, or maybe a gallon of raw sugar.”

“Well, the pheromones that are released when other vampires attempt to compel a human - I’ve never had the ability myself, nor do I desire it - are essentially like a miniscule dose of that vampire’s blood, making the subject a bit, or even a  _ lot _ more compliant and open to suggestion. With your enhanced senses of smell and taste, though, I’d imagine that the sweetness may be so overwhelming to you that you were able to shake it off. Additionally,” he said, sipping his coffee, “Becoming ‘more pliable’ does not make you willing to jump off a cliff. If a sufficiently powerful vampire compelled you to say your name or pick up a pencil, I’d imagine you might - but a suggestion that you were vehemently opposed to…”

“Like my father demanding that I go with him,” Weiss supplied.

“Precisely. Something like  _ that _ would be extremely difficult, or perhaps impossible.”

“That’s a relief,” Weiss said. “Oh, he also… he couldn’t enter our room. He tried, but it was like we had a force field or something - Ruby said it was because he couldn’t come in without an invitation.”

The professor’s eyebrows approached his wiry hairline. “I see,” he murmured. “Vampires whose abilities are more varied are also usually burdened by greater restrictions - we all burn in the sun, for example, but some vampires may find no issue with crossing a threshold while others do. I’m honestly surprised that your father did.” 

He met Weiss’ eyes. “Quite fortunate, though - both that he experiences that limitation,  _ and _ that you, Miss Rose, or perhaps the both of you, are emotionally attached enough to your dorm room that you consider it a ‘home.’”

Weiss raised a questioning eyebrow, and Oobleck explained.

“The threshold rule doesn’t just apply to a space that a person is occupying, or even living in - it’s more emotional than that. The threshold must separate the space that a person considers to be their _home_ - the place that they _belong_ \- from the rest of the world. They must always be a doorway of sorts, true, but the threshold doesn’t need to separate a theoretical ‘inside’ and ‘outside.’ If you lived in a larger house, for example, the door between your bedroom and the hallway might be your threshold. Alternatively, If you felt most at home in a public park, perhaps your threshold might be its gate.”

“So, do you think that I might be safe in my room back at the Schnee mansion?” Weiss asked. “I’ve no desire to return, but I’ve lived there for basically my whole life…”

Oobleck shook his head vigorously.

“Oh, no, Miss Schnee. Not everyone has a threshold, as some people do not see any particular space as their ‘home,’ but everyone who does has only one. The moment that a space becomes the most meaningful one in the world to you, it becomes your threshold. If your feelings are evenly split between any two potential thresholds, you may as well have none.” He sipped his coffee. “You and Miss Rose must  _ truly _ see your room at the college as a home.”

“Oh…” Weiss said, taking that in. “What if only Ruby was enforcing the threshold? You said it could just be one of us, right?”

“That’s a possibility, I suppose,” Oobleck said, waving a noncommittal hand. “But if I may be so bold, Miss Schnee…”

Weiss nodded, giving him permission.

“Be honest with yourself. If you had to choose one, for eternity, where would you live? In your room here at Beacon, or in the Schnee manor?”

“Here,” Weiss said instantly. She blinked.

“Okay,” she admitted, nodding. “I suppose that’s fair.”

“Miss Rose’s choice may not  _ quite _ be so easy,” the professor said, “as I imagine that she has much fonder memories of her childhood home. Perhaps you could ask her, if you’re curious. Either way, I’d figure that you would be safe from vampires there, as Taiyang still occupies the residence full-time.”

“I see,” Weiss said. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” the professor replied. “Did you observe anything else?”

Weiss thought for a moment.

“He turned into mist,” she said. “Is that typical?” 

“No,” Oobleck said, his brow furrowing. “That’s quite rare - I can’t say I’ve personally met a vampire with such a power. Many can transform into bats, or occasionally a blackbird, but  _ mist… _ that’s a new one, even for me.”

Weiss let out a worrisome nod.

“Now, er… I’d like to ask about, well,  _ killing _ vampires, if that’s all right.”

“Ah, yes. Don’t worry, the topic brings me no displeasure.”

“All right,” Weiss said. "Ruby mentioned beheading."

"Should work. Bit gruesome."

"Crosses, holy water?"

"Christian propaganda, I fear. One is a shape and the other is the most common substance on Earth that’s had a man say some words near it.” He sipped again.  _ “Running _ water burns most of us like acid, though."

"Really? How do you bathe?"

"Still water in a bathtub," Oobleck said. "I believe that 'bath bombs' are one of the greatest inventions of this century."

"Garlic?"

"It's delicious - I prefer it on pizza crusts."

"How about wooden stakes?"

"They paralyze us, until removed. You really  _ do _ have to get the heart, though - an inch in any direction and we're just inconvenienced." He paused. “Oh, if you do use stakes as a weapon, wear thick gloves. You’ll get splinters otherwise.”

Weiss made a small sound of affirmation at that.

"That’s good to keep in mind, thank you. Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of. I will also note that these more specific weaknesses - running water, thresholds, even minor things like mirrors - do only apply to certain vampires, as I said earlier. We’re actually a rather inconsistent bunch in that regard. But beheading, stakes, and of course, the sun - those should work on any vampire you meet."

Oobleck took a calm sip from his coffee mug. "Oh, this likely won't come up, but there’s a chance that if you place a wild rose stalk on your father’s coffin or bed while he sleeps there, he won't be able to rise until it is removed."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes. Haven't you read the original  _ Dracula _ ?"

Weiss shook her head. He shrugged.

"I highly recommend it."

Weiss laughed. “I fear it might hit a little too close to home.”

“I suppose that’s fair,” Oobleck said with a chuckle.

“I also wanted to ask you about something you told us earlier,” Weiss said. “You said that vampires generally became stronger with age, right?”

“Yes,” Oobleck said. “Though I did mean literal strength - the distribution of vampire powers and traits has more to do with the vampire’s Sire.”

“How so?” Weiss asked. 

“Well, if you’d indulge me with a bit of vampire legend for a moment,” Oobleck began, and Weiss shifted her tail to the other side of her chair, nodding for him to continue, “We aren’t  _ exactly _ certain where we came from. Unlike, say, lycanthropes, many vampires have led impressively long lives, but as far as all of my research and personal experience with the matter is concerned, none of us know who the  _ original _ vampire was, or even if they were one person.”

“Wasn’t there a ‘Dracula?’” Weiss asked, her right ear flopping to the side as she tilted her head in confusion. “I figured that  _ he’d _ be first.”

“Well, if you believe some,” Oobleck said, “There  _ was _ a Count Dracula, who lived in central Anima for several centuries. He apparently had an unprecedented amount of influence over the realm. But, rumor has it he met his end in the year 1476, vanquished by a legendary vampire hunter, a sorceress, and the Count’s own son, a daywalker.”

“Mm,” Weiss said.

“But regardless, we have evidence of vampires existing for much longer. It’s not as though there’s much vampire archaeology to be done, considering that we turn to ash when killed, but also considering how prevalent vampires or vampire-like creatures were in ancient cultures... there’s at least a fair chance they got that inspiration from the real thing. Not to mention those of us who claim to be able to trace their lineage of Sires back to the first millenium.”

Oobleck sipped on the dregs of his coffee. “So, as the myth goes, at the beginning of human civilization, perhaps at the beginning of humanity itself, or even earlier, maybe at the very beginning of  _ time, _ there was one individual, the first vampire. Their gender is often debated, as is the idea that they predated human genders entirely. But in nearly every version of the story, this original vampire was, well,  _ the _ ur-vampire, possessing  _ all  _ of the traits expressed in any vampire today, benefits  _ and _ drawbacks. Supposedly, every single vampire has at least an infinitesimal fraction of that vampire’s blood in their veins, and the abilities that they possess are determined by which traits were and weren’t expressed as that blood became more and more diluted over the centuries.”

Weiss let that hang in the air for a while, thinking about it. The professor’s coffee mug was now empty.

“Do you… do you think that they’re still alive?” Weiss asked. “The first vampire?”

Oobleck laughed. “Miss Schnee, I don’t even know if they ever existed.” He shrugged. “It  _ does _ make for a nice story, though, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I suppose so,” Weiss replied, staring off into space for a moment, thoughtful.

“Well,” the professor said. “My class begins in around…” he checked his watch. “Oh, twenty minutes. I’d be happy to discuss any of this with you further, but I also wouldn’t mind refilling my coffee thermos downstairs before I get there. Do you have any other questions?”

“Oh,” Weiss said, startled out of her reverie. “I… well, I was just thinking. Ruby could smell my father while he was a few floors below us, but I had no idea what I was looking for, and I figured that I… probably should get a strong sense of what a vampire smells like.”

“Ah,” the professor said. “I see. Well, I apologize in advance if this is slightly awkward, but I would not be opposed to serving as an example, for that purpose.” He gave her a shrug. “I fear that my scent is quite a bit subtler than most - I go through quite a bit of trouble to mask it with my coffee.”

Weiss blinked. “Is  _ that _ why you’re always drinking it?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “My body doesn’t actually process caffeine, it doesn’t give me energy or anything. But I’ve found that carrying a strong brew is able to mask my vampiric nature from even the most perceptive creatures, like Miss Rose. But I’m sure she’d be able to tell if she got within five feet or so.” He let out a small laugh. “I used to only take sips to keep up appearances, but I must admit, I’ve become rather addicted to the taste. Regardless… here. I hope this will make things as minimally awkward as possible.”

He drew back the cuff of his shirt a few inches above the wrist and extended it over the desk. Weiss approached tepidly, only getting about six inches away.

Her ears flattened against her head as she processed the scent. First and foremost, of course, was coffee, and a bit of the ink from the pen he’d been grading with when she’d entered. But underneath, Oobleck himself reminded her vaguely of chemical preservatives, like the sterile scent of a hospital. There was also, as she likely could have guessed, the faint iron or coppery aroma of freshly-spilled blood. As she examined closer, there was a final, very subtle aroma. It made her think of digging out a stone that had been entrenched in the earth for several years - as if one had just removed an old gravestone from the ground. 

It was distinct enough that she was confident she’d be able to recognize it in other contexts. The only word she could really ascribe to his scent was ‘vampire’ - like the unique, layered combinations of fragrances that she’d noticed were different between humans from weres.

“I think I’ve got it,” Weiss said, pulling back quickly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the professor replied, pulling his shirt sleeve back down. Apparently he was just as uninterested in the physical proximity as she was.

“Also, you drink decaf?” Weiss asked, sniffing the air to confirm. “Does that actually matter?”

“Not in the slightest,” Oobleck replied with a chuckle. “A coworker insisted I switch to it, around five years ago. ‘For my health,’ she advised. I decided to humor her, and now I’m just accustomed to it.”

Weiss snickered. “You didn’t have the heart to tell her you’re already dead, then?”

“No, I most certainly didn’t,” Oobleck laughed. “Though I  _ have _ made that joke before at department events. ‘I’m working myself to the grave’ is a popular one - always gets a laugh, even from the humans who miss the extra layer of irony.”

Weiss giggled, causing Oobleck to chuckle brightly as well.

“Thank you so much, Professor, for everything.” Weiss said.

“Of course, Miss Schnee. I  _ do  _ hope that we’ll talk like this again soon - and perhaps it will even occur without a ruthless vampire attack preceding it.”

“Yes, well, maybe now I’ll smell it coming,” she said, standing and reaching for the door. She pulled her ears and tail back in. Oobleck stood as well, ready to follow. Weiss paused, a thought occurring to her.

“Oh, one more small thing,” she said. “I almost forgot with everything that happened - Ruby mentioned that my father smelled ‘ancient.’ Like he was already very old and powerful, even though I  _ know _ he was a human two years ago.”

“Hrmm…” Oobleck said, thinking. “I’ve never heard of a young vampire gaining strength so quickly - there’s really not much we can do to grow stronger besides feed and wait.”

“Coco also called him something - she said he was a ‘master vampire,’ or whatever.”

Oobleck’s face was instantly as dark as a stormcloud. He stared at Weiss over his thick glasses.

“Miss Adel said that? She used  _ those words, _ precisely?”

“Y-Yes,” Weiss stuttered. “You’ve met Coco?”

“We’re acquainted,” the professor said nonchalantly. “If he were indeed a master vampire, she would absolutely know for certain… oh my.” He sank into his chair, frightened and contemplative.

“Professor… what does that  _ mean, _ exactly?”

Oobleck sighed. 

“Master vampires are extremely rare and very powerful. I don’t know who their Sires must be - if they even  _ have _ Sires. I’m very fortunate to say that I met one only once, and I was too insignificant at the time for her to notice me.”

Weiss just raised an eyebrow.

“I spent around five decades back in the late nineteen-hundreds under direct control of my Sire, until a young vampire hunter managed to kill him and free me around thirty years ago. But before then, my Sire took me to a castle in the Mistral countryside, and which was owned by a master vampire.”

He stared Weiss right in the face. 

“She was so powerful that you could feel the raw  _ death _ coming off of her in waves from across the room. I watched her break an adult man’s neck with the muscles in  _ one finger _ before drinking him dry. I’d never been so frightened before or since, and I am almost two hundred years old.”

Weiss had absolutely nothing to say to that. She just stood motionless in horror for a minute, before Oobleck continued.

“Miss Adel, as I’m sure you’ve seen, has a fair amount of magical prowess,” Oobleck said.

“Yes,” Weiss said. “I suppose I wouldn’t have guessed that magic is real on my own, but considering everything I’ve learned these past few months…” Oobleck gave her an indulgent smile.

“Quite. Regardless, Miss Adel has the ability to determine a person’s exact nature with a good enough look - she can tell precisely what kind of creature you are, be it vampire, lycanthrope, et cetera, down to the slightest detail. She probably even ‘saw’ you in all your forms, all at once. It’s an extremely valuable trait for a human.”

“So  _ that’s _ how she knew about me,” Weiss said. She recalled Coco’s eyes flashing white as she’d looked at her.

“If Miss Adel said that your father is a master vampire, she is correct,” Oobleck stated. “And that means that he is far, far more powerful than we feared.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! A bit of a shorter chapter this time, just under 4k words. I noticed that I'd been splitting my chapters between two or even three major topics/events, and while I think that that'll work a fair amount of the time, I do also want to try putting out chapters with a bit of a narrower focus as well.  
> Let me know what you think of this shorter chapter!
> 
> -R


	17. Fluff and Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we all needed a comfort chapter. This one is light, fluffy, and sweet so I very much hope that everyone enjoys.  
> That being said, there is a fair amount of nudity in this chapter - none of it is described in a graphic or overly sexualized manner, but I *do* go a bit more in depth with the descriptions than I normally have with nudity in this fic. I made a point to describe things abstractly and more poetically than, say, the description of a woman's body in an M-rated book written by a man, so if you've been with me here so far I don't *think* it'll feel extremely sexual out of nowhere or anything, but... just consider yourselves warned.
> 
> With that being said, I hope you like comfort, and I hope you like fluff - literally, in this case...
> 
> -Red

“How’d your talk go with Oobleck?” Ruby asked. “Did he tell you how to, uh…”

She stopped there, considering that they were still in public as they walked back to their temporary home with Blake and Yang.

“He did, yes. I actually learned quite a bit about my father,” Weiss said.

“That’s good,” Ruby said. “I still can’t get over how he smelled so  _ old…” _

“Well… apparently he’s a  _ lot _ more powerful than we thought,” Weiss said.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, her brows furrowing.

“Do you remember what Coco called him?” Weiss lowered her voice. “A ‘master vampire?’”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, scratching her head. “I guess I hadn’t done much thinking about it…”

“Well, according to the professor, it means he’s extremely powerful and dangerous,” Weiss said. “I don’t know  _ how _ powerful, exactly, but I’m not really sure if you and I could actually, well…  _ take  _ him, in a straight fight.”

Ruby made a worried sound at that. They both had assumed that Jacques would be too young a vampire to  _ really _ threaten Ruby in her were, and their assumption had been further validated by the fact that Jacques had only came for them on the new moon. But based on Oobleck’s description of the raw  _ strength _ that a master vampire had… Weiss suddenly wasn’t so sure.

“I dunno,” Ruby said. “But we’ve got each other, Blake and Yang, and heck, probably Coco if we know he’s coming...”

“Winter and Robyn, too, if that  _ really _ became necessary,” Weiss said. “But I don’t truly know.” Weiss put a hand on her chin as she thought over it all again.

“Hey,” Ruby said, gently getting her attention. “No matter what, we’ll figure it out.” She gave Weiss a winning smile, though she briefly lost control of her unwieldy art bag in the process. She scrambled with it for a moment, and then resumed her confident pose as if nothing had gone awry.

“Thank you,” Weiss said with a smile. “And are you  _ sure _ you don’t need help carrying that?” She felt bad walking next to Ruby as she struggled with the unwieldy bag  _ and _ her backpack, while Weiss carried nothing but her card and her scroll.

“Fine,” Ruby relented, handing the bag over while they waited at a crosswalk. She adjusted her backpack straps once her arms were free, then gave Weiss a nervous smile. “Thanks.”

“Of course, Ruby,” Weiss said simply, holding the bag up under her arm. “I like your painting so far, by the way.”

“Oh, you were watching?” Ruby asked with a blush. She rubbed the back of her neck, a bit nervous. “I figure I paint too slow to be entertaining…”

“No, it was nice,” Weiss said. “I’ve never observed you staying that quiet for that long. It was a welcome change of pace.”

“Hey!” Ruby said, giving her a tiny, playful shove. “I can be quiet! I’m quiet all the time!”

“No, Ruby, you are not,” Weiss said, the endearing grin plain on her face. “Not when you cook, not when you do homework, not even when you draw on your tablet. You’re  _ always _ humming along to music, at  _ least  _ \- if not fully talking to yourself.”

“This is slander!” Ruby protested. “You’re  _ slandering _ me, Weiss Schnee!”

“As my sister would happily tell you, it’s only slander if it’s false,” Weiss said, milking every ounce of enjoyment out of this exchange. Ruby was about to retort, but she was interrupted by the scroll in Weiss’ hand ringing. Winter’s name appeared on the screen.

“Speaking of…” Weiss said.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Weiss,” came a voice that decidedly did not belong to Winter. “Can you maybe tell me why there are two Atlas PD officers at our door, and why they’re asking to talk to my girlfriend about you?”

Weiss suddenly remembered that she hadn’t yet told Winter about the break-in.

“OH! Sorry, Robyn - is Winter there?”

A sigh came from over the line.

“She’s currently bombarding the two cops with legal-speak, and I’m pretty sure that if she talks them in circles for much longer, they’ll die of hunger on our porch.” She could almost hear Robyn pinching the bridge of her nose. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“Well…” Weiss said, looking at Ruby. They were walking close enough that she had heard the entire exchange, and she just gave Weiss a reassuring nod. “My father… came for us, Saturday night. Me and Ruby, that is - he broke into our building and even kicked down our door…”

“Holy shit,” Robyn said, the annoyance vanishing from her tone. “Are you two all right?”

“We’re fine, don’t worry,” she said. “He, um…” she whispered. “He couldn’t cross our threshold.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Robyn sighed.

“The police here at Beacon are doing an investigation, trying to pin it on him. I had to tell them about Winter - she’s enough of a public figure that I knew they’d find her anyways, and I wanted to be upfront. I’m so sorry, I forgot to tell you both...”

“No, no, I get it,” Robyn said. “I’m just glad you and Ruby are okay - do you have somewhere to stay right now?”

“Yes, of course,” Weiss said. “We’re living with Ruby’s sister in an off-campus apartment for the next few days. It should have a threshold, too.”

“Okay,” Robyn said. “Give me a second.” Weiss could hear her cover the receiver, but she still heard her call a faint “Honey? C’mere a sec!” and some hushed conversation before Winter grabbed the scroll.

“Weiss - are you all right?”

“Yes,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes a little at how many people she’d said that to today.

“Robyn told me some of what happened - Father  _ broke in _ to your room?”

“He tried,” Weiss shrugged. “We’re safe, but the police are investigating it now…”

“Weiss,” Winter admonished. Her voice grew softer. “You  _ do _ realize what this means, right? If this investigation leaks, it’ll probably harm Father’s public image. He’ll  _ absolutely _ retaliate - not just against you, but against the officers investigating him, maybe even Beacon College itself.” She let out a sigh. “I just… are you  _ sure _ it was smart to tell the police that it was him?”

“We… didn’t exactly get much time to think it over,” Weiss hedged. “But, Winter… he broke into our  _ home. _ He was fully ready to kidnap me back to Atlas, or heaven knows where, and he…” she paused.

“What, Weiss? What else did he do?”

“He threatened to kill Ruby,” Weiss spat. “And I just - I can’t… I  _ won’t _ allow him to…”

The other line was quiet for a moment. Winter exhaled, making the microphone crackle.

“Dammit. I’m sorry, Weiss - I get it. I… I didn’t know things had already escalated that far.”

“I fear that they most certainly have,” Weiss said with a huff.

“Indeed,” Winter said. “Okay, Weiss. I’ll talk to these bumbling idiots who think they can just  _ walk in here _ without a  _ warrant _ -” this part was yelled away from the scroll, likely towards Winter’s door “- and at least tell them what I can about Father.” She let out a little sigh. “I  _ assume _ that you left out the vampire part.”

“I did,” Weiss said. “Our cover story is that he saw me with Ruby’s sister and her girlfriend, and that he demanded that I return to Atlas for an SDC desk job when he visited Beacon two weeks ago.”

“Got it,” Winter said. “Anything about the man he sent after you?”

“The first time he asked me to come with him, to Father, the second time we just saw his face and were able to steer clear,” Weiss said.

“Okay. I’ll let you know if I think they suspect anything, but…” she let out a tiny laugh. “I’ll happily state for the record that our father is a greedy, abusive old homophobe.”

Weiss chuckled at that.

“I just… I hope you know what you’re doing, Weiss.”

“You said that to me last week,” Weiss said with a weak smile. “I’m figuring it out, Winter. Promise.” She looked at Ruby. “We… we just want to be left alone.”

“I know,” Winter said. “But you know our father isn’t the type of man to do that.”

“Trust me, I’m aware,” Weiss sighed. “I don’t want to keep those officers waiting, but… have you heard anything from Whitley?”

“No. Have you?”

“No,” Weiss said. “We’re getting worried - Ruby and I found his social media, and he took a picture in direct sunlight somewhat recently, but…”

“Hmm.” Winter said. “Maybe ask Klein?” 

Weiss raised her eyebrows - she hadn’t thought of that.

“Good idea, I’ll try that.”

“Let me know,” Winter said. “The emancipation lawyer I know has done what little prep work she can to start getting him out of there, but at this point he has to meet with her and decide to go through with it.” She sighed. “I have to go now, Weiss - if I keep these cops at my door any longer I’m afraid that they’ll fuse with the porch.”

“Okay,” Weiss said. “Good luck. Love you.”

“Love you too, Weiss. Talk to you soon.”

Weiss looked up to realize that they’d already made it to Blake and Yang’s apartment building. Ruby was patiently leaning against the iron railing of their little stone stoop.

“Oh, thank you for waiting,” she said, giving Ruby an indulgent smile as she pulled out the spare key they’d lent her.

“It wasn’t long,” Ruby said. She stopped for a moment. “You okay?”

“Yes,” Weiss sighed. “I’m just… worried for my brother.” Ruby gave her a sympathetic look.

“I know. Do you wanna call Klein tonight, see if he can get you in touch with him?”

“I think we should,” Weiss nodded. “Er…  _ I _ should - you don’t have to...”

“Weiss,” Ruby interrupted gently. “Your dad kicked  _ my _ door down, too. Even if he hadn’t, I… I care about you.” She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, her cheeks a little bit rosy. “If you’re okay with me being there to help with this, then I will - every step of the way.”

Weiss’ heart wasn’t frozen anymore, but it melted for Ruby all the same.

“I… thank you, Ruby.” Weiss said, a warm smile on her face before she even realized it.

Ruby just returned it.

“C’mon, let’s head upstairs.”

* * *

“Hey, Coco,” Ruby muttered as she pushed the door open with her shoulder, using phrase she’d given them to prevent her alarm spell from going off as they came and went. Then, even though the witch couldn’t actually hear it, she added, “It’s us.”

“Hey guys!” Yang said, looking up from her laptop at the kitchen table. “How was class and Oobleck?”

“Good,” Ruby said, putting her art bag down against the pull-out couch where she and Weiss had been sleeping for the past two nights. It wasn’t very soft, but it was a bit wider than the twin beds that they’d shared on two prior occasions, so they couldn’t really complain. The biggest problem was the general lack of space in the apartment, because a dwelling intended for one person or perhaps a couple wasn’t  _ really _ up to the task of housing four college girls and their stuff.

“We had a bit of a scare on our way home, because apparently Atlas PD showed up to talk to my sister,” Weiss said, sitting upright on their borrowed mattress. “But it’s mostly sorted now.”

“Good to hear,” Yang said. Now that they’d put their things down, Weiss noticed Blake in her panther, rubbing up against Yang’s leg as she worked. She reached down with one hand, idly holding it against Blake’s arching back to pet her as she passed by.

“Hey Blake,” Ruby said, noticing as well. “What’s with the short face?” She looked to Weiss, clearly hoping for a laugh at her pun. Instead, she was met by a tired sigh and an indulgent shake of her head, which Ruby apparently deemed close enough to a victory.

“Oh, she just wants me to brush her,” Yang said, her tone slightly admonishing. “She likes when I do it after we hunt, but with the new moon and then with settling you guys in and everything, we haven’t had a chance until today.”

Blake’s front paws landed in Yang’s lap as she stretched upwards, her lithe form now at an angle where she could stare Yang in the face. Her long tail flicked back and forth, rather demandingly.

“Fine, fine, I get it,” Yang said with a laugh. “Work is less important than girlfriend, message received.” She tenderly held Blake’s forepaws at the wrists, setting her down on the floor so she could stand up. Halfway to their closet, she seemed to remember that Weiss and Ruby were still in the room.

“Sorry - do you guys mind?”

“No!” Weiss said, too quickly. When she and Ruby had moved in for these few days, they both had tried not to intrude on their friends’ routines. However, she and Ruby had shared a very awkward half hour yesterday afternoon on the couch while they pretended not to hear Blake and Yang audibly making out in their bedroom. They’d tried to make small talk over it, but the sound wasn’t enough - Weiss had never missed Ruby’s cassette player more.

“Does Blake even really…  _ need _ brushing?” Ruby asked. 

“Not as much as  _ your _ fluffy ass,” Yang teased. “Her fur is pretty short, but she still gets mats and stuff from time to time. Baths are honestly what gets her  _ really _ clean, but they take a while, and I think she mostly just wants to be brushed because it feels nice.”

Blake sat back on her haunches, offended.

“Yes, yes, I’m exposing all of your dirty secrets for our friends to see,” Yang teased. She sat on the floor, curling a hand towards her. “C’mere, there’s a big mat on your left side…”

Weiss found herself idly looking at Ruby, curious. Upon noticing her staring, Ruby jumped a little.

“What?” she asked. Weiss covered her mouth to giggle.

“Apologies, I just… I suppose I didn’t realize that your ‘ass’ was so fluffy, but now that I think about it...”

_ “Hey!” _ Ruby shouted, giving Weiss a shove. “I wouldn’t be throwing stones if I were you, little miss Permanent Winter Coat!”

Weiss shoved her back, giggling.

“Oh, and yet I seem to recall finding the hairs of a brown wolf  _ all over _ my duvet the last time you laid down on it. I think some brushing would certainly help you stop shedding everywhere!”

Ruby gasped at this in overdramatic, fake outrage, pouncing on Weiss. Their ears and tails quickly came out, and before they knew it, Ruby had taken hold of Weiss’ wrists and fallen on top of her. Weiss laid on her back, the base of her tail pressing into the mattress and emerging from her skirt, in-between her legs. She found herself helplessly pinned, staring up into Ruby’s silver eyes. For a tiny moment, the entire world was still as they just looked at each other, utterly entranced.

From this angle, Ruby was absolutely breathtaking.

A soft  _ thump _ sounded from beside them, drawing both of their attention. Yang had thrown another brush onto the mattress just next to them, and she made sure to meet both of their eyes before rolling her own. She returned to Blake as if she hadn’t seen anything at all.

Weiss’ face was instantly on fire when she realized just  _ how _ compromising a position she found herself in. With the hurried apologies tumbling out of Ruby’s mouth as she desperately moved off of Weiss (she dimly realized that Ruby had actually been  _ straddling _ her), she appeared to be equally embarrassed.

Ruby snatched up the brush, quickly offering it to Weiss from a respectable distance away while kneeling on the mattress. 

“Uh, here,” she said, “I-if you want, I could go and change in the bathroom, and then…” Her face went an even more adorable shade of crimson. “I… Yang hasn’t actually brushed me in like a month, so I’m probably a mess…”

“O-oh!” Weiss said, flushing in response. “I… I wouldn’t honestly know what to  _ do, _ really - would it be all right if I went first? I… I’d been meaning to try changing into my wolf without Blake’s help…”

“Yeah!” Ruby said, pulling the brush back. “S-sure, go for it! Uh… let us know if you end up needing Blake!”

“Of course,” Weiss said with a nod.

They were motionless for a moment.

“All right!” Weiss said, wincing - her voice was  _ far  _ too loud now that they weren’t talking over one another. She gave Ruby a nod and quickly extricated herself from the mattress, all but  _ running _ into the bathroom and shutting the door. She buried her burning face in her hands.

“Jeez, Rubes,” Yang said. Weiss could just barely hear it through the door.

“Shut up,” Ruby said.

“I’d tell you to get a room, but - “

“I  _ said _ shut up!”

Weiss did her best to ignore this conversation as she stepped out of her skirt. They didn’t know she could hear them, and it would be unfair to eavesdrop. Fortunately, it appeared that Ruby’s second request for silence was honored, but she did manage to catch Yang’s bemused chuckling, which she didn’t care for one bit. 

After folding her clothes up in a neat pile on the floor, Weiss got down on her hands and knees, shivering just a little. Fortunately, Yang and Blake had a bath mat that was just large enough that she didn’t have to try shifting directly on the hard tile surface.

Weiss closed her eyes, trying to focus. She first wiggled her ears around, and flicked her tail back and forth - exerting control over them first tended to help, Blake had said. Then, she exhaled, concentrated, and started with her head.

  
  


Ruby heard a timid, awkward little  _ yip _ from the bathroom.

“Weiss?” she said, getting up from the pull-out couch immediately. “You okay?”

Nothing.

Ruby walked over to the door and knocked. “D-did you get stuck halfway or something? Here, I’ll get Blake and she can -”

Two little yips, both of them definitely coming from Weiss, echoed from the bathroom.

“Oh,” Ruby said, exhaling with relief. “Okay - do you want me to open the door?”

One yip.

Ruby turned the handle slowly, and the sight that greeted her was a beautiful white wolf, sitting back on her haunches with pride, her tail wagging furiously. Ruby’s eyes widened, realizing that Weiss had completed her first unassisted change into her wolf.

“You did it!” Ruby shouted with joy. She got down on one knee, opening her arms to hug Weiss. The wolf happily jumped forward, pressing her head into Ruby’s chest to receive some well-deserved praise. She knocked Ruby backwards onto her butt, but they both were too excited to care - Weiss licked Ruby’s face over and over again.

“I’m so proud of you,” Ruby said, affectionately tousling Weiss’ head. Her tail wouldn’t stop wagging.

“She got it?” Yang said, the excitement in her voice showing that she already knew the answer.

“See for yourself!” Ruby called. Weiss bounded past Ruby, who giggled with delight as Weiss skidded to a halt on the floor before Yang, proudly standing tall.

“Great job, Weiss!” Yang said, reaching up to scratch behind her ear. Blake got up from her spot on the floor, still in her panther. She affectionately rubbed her head against Weiss’ to show her approval, even giving her a small lick on her snout. “It didn’t even take too long,” Yang said. “What was that - five minutes?”

“Four and a half,” Ruby said, sitting down next to Weiss, her smile beaming. “I’m so proud of you,” she said again. She held the brush up to Weiss. “Ready?”

Weiss gave her a nod.

“Great! Hop up on the couch for me?”

Weiss gave her one little lick on the cheek before gracefully doing so. Ruby laughed as she climbed up after her.

“Okay,” Ruby said, “Let’s see what we’re dealing with here…”

Ruby’s fingers were like  _ magic _ in Weiss’ fur - apparently, she didn’t start with the brush, but was instead using just her hands to smooth out some of the smaller, less serious mats in Weiss’ coat. She let out a low, pleased hum at her touch, stretching out and letting Ruby just gently run her fingers down her flank. It was like having someone else brush her hair  _ and _ give her a gentle massage at the same time.

“Okay,” she heard from Yang’s direction, “That’s as good as I’m gonna get with the brush. C’mon, you - time for a bath.”

A confused sound came from Blake, and Weiss picked her head up just in time to see Yang slide her arms underneath her lounging girlfriend to actually  _ scoop her up, _ bridal-style, and carry her towards the bathroom.

Blake yowled in protest.

“Hey, c’mon, I can  _ feel _ all the dirt and loose hair in your coat. I tried my best, but there’s no avoiding it. In we go!”

She nudged the bathroom door open with her foot.

“Blake doesn’t  _ actually _ mind baths in her panther, she just likes making Yang carry her into them,” Ruby whispered. “Yang always plays along.”

“Hey Weiss,” Yang called, pretending not to hear that, “Can I move your clothes outta here? They’ll probably get wet if they stay.”

Weiss barked once in affirmation.

“I got it,” Ruby murmured with a smile. “That means ‘yes!’” She called. She hopped off the bed for a moment, and soon returned with Weiss’ clothes in a neat pile - and water dripping from her face.

“Blake started splashing her,” Ruby explained. “I was caught in the crossfire.” She laid Weiss’ clothes in a pile approximately as neat as the one she’d found them in on the arm of the couch, and then picked up the brush.

Weiss gave her a few sympathetic licks on the face, cleaning off most of the water still running down it.

“Gee, thanks, Weiss,” Ruby said sarcastically, wiping her face with her sleeve.  _ “Now _ I’m all dry.” Weiss unapologetically let her head rest back on the mattress. Ruby chuckled and shook her head, her gentle brushing lulling Weiss into a heavy, blissful trance of relaxation.

  
  


* * *

“Okay, that should about do it!” Ruby said. Weiss reluctantly picked her head up, as if to ask,  _ over already?  _ Ruby just giggled, petting her flank.

“Yeah, you should be good to go,” Ruby said. “Took a while, though - almost like you’d never been brushed before!”

Weiss sat up, giving Ruby a side-eye at her joke. After a moment, though, she licked Ruby’s cheek, grateful for the brushing.

“Thank you,” Ruby laughed. “Do you wanna change back on your own, or do you want Blake’s help? She’s still in the bath, I think, but she should be out soon…” Ruby called out over Weiss’ shoulder, towards the bathroom.

“Yang? Are you guys almost done?”

“Just about!” Yang said back. “Only a few more -  _ ick _ \- hairballs!” There was a very brief silence, and then Yang cried out, as if she’d been scratched. “What, what’d I say?”

Ruby rolled her eyes as Yang’s string of apologies floated in through the bathroom door.

“Might still be a while,” she said to Weiss. “Don’t worry, it’s only three in the afternoon - there’s plenty of time to brush me  _ and _ still call your brother tonight.”

Weiss gave her a nod, thankful. Ruby sat, her back leaning against the back pillows of the pull-out couch, but still sitting on the mattress itself. She put a hand down on the surface next to her, frowning when it entered a large clump of white fur. She hadn’t noticed it, blending in seamlessly with their bottom sheet.

“Oh, yeah,” Ruby said. “I should  _ probably  _ clean this up - don’t worry, I think I know where they keep their pet vacuum.” She tousled Weiss’ head before standing up to root around in their hallway closet. Weiss realized that she and Ruby should  _ probably _ make a similar purchase of their own at some point, especially if brushing became a regular activity.

Oh, the things she could look forward to, while, at least for the moment, the spectre of her father didn’t loom over them.

Weiss laid down a bit, stretching and shaking herself off. She felt  _ good _ \- really good, actually, despite having spent a fair amount of her energy on her first unassisted change. She looked over towards the bathroom door, and a hairdryer came on - clearly, Blake and Yang would still be occupied for another minute yet.

Weiss gave the closest thing that she could in this form to a shrug, and then closed her eyes, concentrating.

  
  


“C’mon, Yang, where do you keep this little thing,” Ruby muttered. She’d quickly come to learn that Blake and Yang’s hallway closet was a sort of ‘miscellaneous’ storage space for the couple, as well as where they hung up most of their coats and jackets. She was on her hands and knees, pushing aside Yang’s knee-high boots to see what was in a low cubby embedded in the wall, only to learn that it was Blake’s jet-black motorcycle helmet. Ruby replaced the boots with a sigh, deciding to try the top shelf again. She was only  _ just _ tall enough to reach it, but not quite enough to see over the shelf very easily, so she had to feel around with her hands before they landed on a familiar piece of plastic.

“Ah-HA!” Ruby said triumphantly. She pulled it down off the shelf, taking care to not bring anything else down along with it. Once the tiny but powerful hand vacuum was secured in her grasp, she turned, saying, “Okay, Weiss, would you mind hopping down for… a… sec…”

The sentence died on Ruby’s lips as a  _ very _ naked Weiss Schnee sat back from her hands and knees, her ears wiggling a bit as she finished changing back into her human form. Weiss gently arched her back, cracking it a little. Her tail settled comfortably around her waist as she sat back on her heels, finally opening her eyes.

Weiss was  _ beautiful. _ Ruby had already known this - she’d seen her dozens of times and in dozens of contexts by now. She’d even seen Weiss naked, in a sense - there had always been a blanket or a towel or something of the sort between them, but after helping Weiss with two changes each, into and out of her wolf, not to mention all the times she’d walked out of the shower while they’d been living together, Ruby figured that if she  _ did _ ever see Weiss without… well… anything, it wouldn’t be too big a deal.

She was very mistaken.

Weiss’s silky, snow-white hair, long and loose instead of wrapped up in her usual ponytail, cascaded down from either side of her neck in waves, demurely covering her breasts as if she were a mermaid. Ruby marvelled at the elegant curve of her shoulders, at how simple and delightful the transition from her neck to her collarbones looked without even a bra strap to seperate them. Her arms were surprisingly muscular, as was her body - Weiss was lean, but not quite enough for Ruby to be certain where her ribcage ended. Her stomach, just slightly flexed inwards because of her position, showed a small hint of well-defined abdominal muscles, which was quite a welcome surprise. Just from this look, Ruby could also tell that Weiss fenced with her left hand - she apparently made efforts to balance her muscles out, but her left arm remained ever so slightly more toned than her right.

Ruby couldn’t help but let her eyes travel further downward, if just for a moment - Weiss’ hands idly rested on her soft, fluffy tail, which covered a fair amount of the space between her hips. They actually looked a tiny bit narrower than Ruby had expected, though she figured that that was at least in part because Weiss so often wore poofy dresses or skirts instead of pants. The only bit of her legs that were visible from her posture were her thighs, perfectly touching one another and again, surprisingly muscular. Ruby could recognize the faded but still quite visible impression that her own teeth had left on Weiss’ right leg, a series of pinprick marks where her flesh had knit itself back together. Her thighs weren’t bulging with strength like a bodybuilder’s or anything, but Ruby could just so easily imagine herself gently tracing the outline of each muscle with her finger, tenderly dragging it against Weiss’ bare skin -

Ruby physically shut her eyes and turned away from Weiss, holding out a hand in-between them as if she intended to block her own vision even further. She felt like a horrible, evil interloper for catching Weiss like this, and while she hadn’t  _ really _ seen anything that she wasn’t supposed to see, nor had she looked for more than a second or two at most, the sheer  _ concept _ of seeing Weiss in the nude was enough to make Ruby’s entire face go hot with embarrassment.

“Sorry!” Ruby shouted, too loudly. “I’m  _ so _ sorry - I didn’t mean to -”

“Oh!” Weiss said. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to try changing back, I didn’t really realize -”

“It’s okay!” Ruby said, still not looking. “I just, I’m sorry for -”

“No, no!  _ I’m _ the one who just changed in this room, I - I figured I’d have to get used to the whole nudity thing at some point, but…”

Ruby stopped. She kept her eyes turned away from Weiss, but, timidly, she asked, “... are you sure?” She coughed, clarifying. “I mean… is it… is it  _ okay _ to look? I know that you didn’t really wanna do the whole nudity thing before, which, like - that’s fair, that’s fine, I just…”

“I… y-yeah,” Weiss said, nervous. “H-here - let me get  _ sort  _ of dressed, and then… would that be okay?”

“Yeah! Whatever you’re comfortable with!” Ruby said, far too loudly. “I’ll just…” she gestured with her vacuum hand at how she was still turned away. 

“Right…” Weiss said, chuckling at the absurdity of the whole thing. Ruby heard her moving on ths mattress, reaching for the pile of her clothes on the arm of the couch. She  _ slowly _ relaxed from her tense, panicked position, now standing normally with her back to Weiss. She busied herself with looking over the hand vacuum she was still holding, making sure that it wasn’t full or anything.

“Ruby?” Weiss asked quietly.

“Yeah?” Ruby asked, still not turning around.

Weiss let out a tiny, embarrassed laugh, asking, “Would… um… would it be all right if I asked for your help for a second?”

Ruby blinked. Cautiously, she turned around, saying, “Uh… sure. What did you need?”

When she finally got the courage to look, she found herself facing Weiss’ back. She was looking over her shoulder at Ruby, wearing just a black pair of boyshorts with her tail poking out over the waistband. She had her arms through the straps of her bra, but it wasn’t clasped in the back.

“I can’t really get it myself with my hair in the way,” she admitted sheepishly. “And I can’t find the hair tie I had…”

“O-oh!” Ruby said. “Do you want me to…?”

“If you don’t mind…” Weiss said with an awkward smile. “Sorry - I uh, I use the first setting.”

“Got it,” Ruby said. Weiss held her hair in front of her shoulders with both hands, keeping it away from the clasp. Ruby carefully stepped forward, attempting to touch Weiss’ bare back as little as possible. She took the two halves of the white bra (the color did not surprise her one bit) and gently hooked them together. There was a small white tag that ended up being folded upwards across Weiss’ back.

“Thank you,” she said, leaning forwards again.

“Wait!” Ruby said. “The tag is caught…”

“Oh,” Weiss said, leaning back.

“Here, I’ll just…” Ruby slid her finger gently under the strap, and couldn’t  _ help _ but notice the goosebumps that rose on Weiss’ shoulders and the back of her neck as she did. “Sorry if my hand is cold,” she said sheepishly, now finished with straightening out the tag. 

“It wasn’t,” Weiss said, with a nervous but overall excited smile. She eyed the vacuum that Ruby had put down on the mattress. “Oh, do you want me to get up?”

“If you don’t mind,” Ruby said sheepishly. Weiss gracefully stood, stepping down off of the bed and onto the wooden floor below. She shivered momentarily, choosing instead to walk around behind Ruby, standing on a small rug that Blake and Yang had put out in front of their couch. It made sense, because her feet were bare and likely a little cold, but Ruby couldn’t help but feel hyper-aware of Weiss’ presence while she was so… underdressed.

As if to mask her too-loud thoughts, Ruby flicked on the vacuum and began methodically removing Weiss’ snow-white fur from the cream bottom sheet of the mattress. It wasn’t  _ too _ tough to see, considering that the fur had gathered in tufts that were large and elevated enough to spot, but Ruby  _ did _ realize that it probably hadn’t been a great idea to bush the fur off of a white wolf onto a white surface,  _ especially _ the one where they would be sleeping that night. 

Because of the errant noise of the vacuum, Ruby didn’t notice the absence of the hairdryer that Yang had probably been using on Blake’s fur after the bath. So she was a little surprised when the bathroom door opened once more. Out walked Yang, her shirt unsurprisingly covered in dark spots from being splashed, and a now-clean Blake, her fur all fluffed up from drying.

She gave them both a wave, and Yang stopped for a moment, looking over Ruby’s shoulder at Weiss. She looked ready to say something, and because Ruby was just about done anyways, she turned the vacuum off, letting her speak.

“Hey, Weiss,” Yang said, as if her relative state of undress were completely uninteresting. “Did you manage to change back by yourself, too?”

“Yes!” Weiss nodded, clearly still a little embarrassed, but she seemed to be somewhat getting used to it. “Changing back was always easier, so I figured I’d try it, and…”

“Nice,” Yang said simply. “Here, I’m gonna throw this shirt in the laundry because  _ someone _ just insists on splashing me.” This was contemptuously directed at Blake, who slinked past the couch without the slightest ounce of remorse. “And then I can show you how to brush Ruby.” She met Ruby’s eyes. “That okay?”

“Sure, yeah,” she said, putting the vacuum down. “I’ll just…” she began to step out of her jeans, now fifty times more self-conscious because she knew that a relatively undressed Weiss was watching.

Blake, now beside them in her panther, effortlessly stood up while returning to her human form. She went to grab a book off of a small shelf that she and Yang had added to their little apartment, and curled up in an admittedly cozy-looking armchair in the corner. 

“So Weiss,” she said nonchalantly. “Are you trying to get a bit accustomed to the nudity thing?” She asked it as if it were a change to her routine, like showering at night instead of in the morning.

“Oh! Yes,” she said, turning to observe Blake, who was making absolutely no effort to cover anything of hers at the moment. “I… I figured I’d have to get rather used to it eventually - especially with the full moon in two weeks…”

Blake nodded. “Yang and I are… used to it, around here, as you can probably tell -” she gestured to herself “- but if you ever get uncomfortable or change your mind, just let us know, all right?”

Weiss gave a grateful nod. “Thank you,” she said. Blake just returned the gesture, and her eyes went back down to her book. Ruby, now out of her pants, socks, and shirt, but leaving on her bra and underwear, sat at the foot of their bed. Weiss followed suit, just a few inches away.

“What made you wanna try it?” Ruby asked. “I’m not, like…  _ complaining, _ I guess - or, I mean, it’s fine that you wanna start, but… was it something in particular?”

“Not really, I suppose,” Weiss said with a shrug. “For one thing, it’s quite a bit more convenient.”

Blake let out a little chuckle at that. 

“But for the most part, I think I’m just… slowly settling in to everything.” She let out a small laugh. “Besides, I figured that I should probably take a few baby steps with it before I wake up completely naked in a forest the Friday after next.”

Ruby giggled. “Yeah, I see your point there,” she said. “But seriously, if you want… we can just bring another big towel for you. Like, yeah, there’s  _ some _ parts of it that we can’t avoid, but it’s not hard to accommodate that if it’s what makes you comfortable.”

Weiss tilted her head, considering that. “I don’t know yet - would you mind if I decided some time later?”

“Sure,” Ruby shrugged. “You can even choose the night of. Whatever we can do to help!”

Weiss’ cheeks flushed just a little, and she  _ very _ carefully put her hand over Ruby’s. They’d been comfortable with much more intimacy before, but their current state added a bit more to the whole affair, and she figured a conservative approach was the best one. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Weiss,” Yang said, walking back out of the room she shared with Blake. They both noticed that she’d certainly taken her wet shirt off, but like Blake, was apparently testing the waters of Weiss’ comfort by not replacing it with anything. She looked over to her girlfriend, curled up in the armchair. “Feeling better now, Blake?”

“Yeah,” She said. “I  _ guess _ you were right, and a bath was a good idea.” The teasing note in her voice made Weiss pretty confident that they’d had this little exchange a fair amount of times already, and it was more a ritual than a unique conversation.

“I’m  _ always _ right,” Yang said confidently, walking past the pullout couch to sit cross-legged on the floor, apparently ready to help brush Ruby. Blake let out a small chuckle at her statement, but didn’t go further. “Okay, Weiss - ready to learn?”

“S-sure,” she said, standing up and sitting down next to Yang. “Is Ruby  _ really _ that fluffy? Like… is it hard?”

“Nah,” Yang said. “Worst case, we’ll have to cut out a few mats with scissors if they get  _ really _ bad, but she hasn’t had one of those since she finally stopped rolling around in mud in the backyard.” This was, of course, a jab directed at Ruby, who charitably pretended to ignore it while she finished getting undressed.

“... Ruby, you didn’t,” Weiss said, already covering her mouth to giggle. 

“You’re gonna start telling embarrassing stories about me right as I’m supposed to shift and not be able to talk?” Ruby huffed, crossing her arms at Yang. She’d finished undressing, and she tried very hard to not let her cheeks warm at how Weiss’ eyes momentarily fell on her chest before quickly flicking back up to her eyes. She didn’t  _ mind _ Weiss staring, quite the opposite - but the juxtaposition with Yang’s teasing did make the affair a lot more awkward.

“Aww, c’mon, Rubes, you  _ know _ I’ve gotta embarrass you a little bit,” Yang said with a laugh.

“Fine, fine,” she said, sitting down in front of them. “But I do wonder if Blake knows that  _ you _ sucked your thumb until you were ten.”

At the sound of her name, the werepanther’s golden eyes were visible over the top of her book.

“You know, I don’t believe she’s mentioned it,” Blake said, her tone taking on a note of fascination. “I’d certainly love to hear more, if you’ve got a minute…” Her absolutely devilish smile lingered on Yang, who, for maybe the second time that Weiss had ever seen, was actually blushing with embarrassment.

“Just change and sit on the stupid carpet, Ruby,” She said hotly, causing the three of them to burst out into laughter. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Okay, so now that you’ve gotten most of the simpler mats out of the way on this side, the brush won’t get caught on them as you’re using it for the bigger ones,” Yang explained.

“I get it,” Weiss said. “It’s sort of like brushing your hair.”

“Pretty much,” Yang said. “If the brush really gets caught - and  _ especially _ if it looks like it’s making her uncomfortable - stop tugging and call me over, I’ll get the scissors.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said gratefully.

“Happy to help,” Yang said, standing. “Now I’m just glad that  _ I  _ won’t have to do it all the time.”

“Well, if brushing a wolf is such a chore, I’m sure that you really appreciate how often  _ I _ end up doing it for  _ you,” _ Blake said, putting a bookmark in the middle of her paperback. 

“That’s different -  _ you _ do it because I’m hot,” Yang said.

“How humble,” Weiss muttered.

“Careful, Schnee,” Yang said. “You’re living in my house right now. I know where you sleep!”

Weiss just rolled her eyes, as the threat was obviously empty.

“She  _ does _ have a point, you know,” Blake said, walking over to the kitchen. “You can get a little bit full of yourself and how pretty you are.”

“So you admit it?” Yang said smugly, leaning back against the counter.

“Well, I didn’t say it wasn’t true,” Blake teased, leaning up to kiss her softly.

“And now  _ you two _ are the ones who should get a room,” Weiss said sarcastically.

Blake stopped, looking down at her. “Sorry - too much?”

Weiss rolled her eyes, letting out a little laugh. “No, I was just taking part in the teasing.”

“Fair enough,” Yang chuckled, her arms still wrapped around Blake’s waist. Blake herself gave Weiss an understanding nod before moving out of Yang’s embrace.

“Hey, is pasta all right with you guys?” She asked, opening the shelving above their tiny stove. “It’s getting to be around dinner time, and with our master chef occupied…” She looked down at Ruby, who appeared to be mostly asleep while Weiss gently pulled the brush through her thick brown fur.

“Fine by me,” Yang said. “Mind if I finish up my homework, or do you want a hand?”

“I’ve got it,” Blake said.

“You cook?” Weiss asked, making conversation. “Oh, and pasta sounds great.”

Blake nodded, getting out a pot. “I haven’t actually cooked for that long or anything - Most of my meals growing up, especially once I was around twelve or so and could shift on my own, didn’t really  _ need _ to be cooked.” Weiss gave her a shrug, admitting that that was probably fair.

“But, since Beacon doesn’t really have a dining hall, and  _ especially _ once I started living with a disaster chef…” she side-eyed Yang, who had apparently chosen not to hear that, “I picked a few things up pretty quickly. I’m not Ruby or anything, but I do okay.”

“Works for me,” Weiss said. “I was telling Ruby the other day - I’m so used to dinners being such a drawn-out, painful affair, with the outfits and the waitstaff and the whole nine yards, that I’ve honestly reached the point where some homemade pasta with nothing but parmesan cheese is my new gourmet meal.”

“Really?” Blake asked. “Not even sauce?”

“Nope,” Weiss laughed. “Ruby’s made it for me so many times that we buy like three boxes of pasta most weeks, just to prepare.”

“I’m pretty sure I could make that, if you wanted,” Blake said. “I was gonna do sauce for everyone else, but…”

“I’d like that,” Weiss said with a smile. “Thank you.”

For a while, the apartment was cloaked in a comfortable silence - Yang was comparing the contents of her notebook to that of her laptop at the kitchen table, Blake was casually waiting for the water to boil while tapping through her scroll, and Weiss was sitting cross-legged on the floor, pulling clumps of brown fur off of Ruby.

Aside from the fact that the most clothing that any of them wore was Yang, sporting a pair of jeans, a black athletic bra, and no socks, and that Ruby was  _ much _ too large to look like a regular dog while stretched out on the floor, things felt… shockingly normal, to Weiss. She found herself enjoying essentially the same comfort level that she’d reached while living with Ruby. Their “silences” were always filled by her cassette player, or perhaps with each of them listening to their own music if Ruby was drawing (she apparently needed a very specific mood for each piece, and would often listen to the same song on repeat for two hours or more to achieve it), but the amicable, friendly atmosphere felt essentially the same. 

This was  _ remarkably _ welcome to Weiss, and she found herself genuinely relieved that they’d been able to return to such a feeling of relative safety and comfort after it had been so brutally shattered by her father just two days ago. She knew that he’d return eventually, and was still concerned for Whitley (Klein hadn’t yet answered her messages, though it was earlier in Atlas, so it could be that he was still busy with maintaining the Schnee manor), she just found her shoulders finally relaxing fully as, for the moment, things were totally all right.

She looked back down at Ruby, and was generally satisfied with the state of her coat - fortunately, they hadn’t needed the scissors or anything, but when Weiss looked over, she noticed that she’d basically taken enough fur off of the brown wolf to build a life-size replica.

“Hey, Ruby,” she said softly, causing Ruby to quirk an ear in her direction. “That should be all of it - feeling better?”

Ruby took her time with a luxurious stretch before replying. Once that was done, she let out a low, satisfied noise, rolling onto her belly to give Weiss a proper lick of thanks.

“You’re welcome,” Weiss said, giggling. “Now what am I supposed to do with all of this fur?”

“Garbage,” Yang said without looking up. “You can probably scoop most of it in with your hands, and then a fair amount of passes with the vacuum should get the rest of it. Ruby can help you.”

“I swear, we throw out more animal fur than the people in our building who actually own pets,” Blake chuckled.

“Well, in our defense,” Weiss laughed, “I think that all four of us are quite a bit larger than the average apartment-dwelling city dog.”

“True,” Yang said. “But as far as our landlord is concerned,  _ we _ don’t own any pets - he allows dogs, cats, and fish and all that, and while we’re  _ technically _ just a really big dog and a really big cat... I’m pretty sure that if he came by and saw a black jaguar lounging on the couch, we’d get evicted.”

“So prejudiced,” Blake laughed sarcastically.

“Ruby passed for a dog when she met up with me in that park,” Weiss said. “I guess I can understand why Blake would freak a human out, but would you, Yang?”

She shrugged. “I’m…  _ really _ big, even for a ‘dog.’ Besides, when people look closely enough, they notice that I’m not really like a yellow lab or anything. And there aren’t really yellow dogs that get anywhere near my size, so… Ruby’s just lucky that she’s brown, so she can pass for like a Great Dane or something. Even if her snout is way too long.”

Weiss hummed at that. She idly pet Ruby for another few seconds and then grabbed two big fistfuls of her fur, bringing them to the trash can.

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask about that, Ruby,” Weiss said, figuring that she was about to change back and could answer in a moment. “If all of us are the same color as our hair, then shouldn’t you be black and red, instead of brown? I know your ears are a little redder, but...”

Sure enough, Ruby had changed back to her human form. She stood up, stretching her arms, her ears folded against her head for a second. They returned to their normal, upright position once she settled. She reached for the pair of underwear that she’d left on the pullout couch, which Weiss was a little bit grateful for. She’d technically seen it all before, and was mostly okay with Blake’s lack of clothing, but she was making sure that her eyes didn’t linger anywhere. Ruby must have noticed, and was wordlessly accommodating her as she got used to things.

“Well, my hair  _ is _ dyed this way,” she said. “My natural color is still  _ kinda _ dark, so I don’t have to get my roots redyed any time soon, but…” she coughed. “Most of the fur on our wolves does sorta come from the hair on our  _ bodies, _ not necessarily our heads. I guess they’re the same, for you three, so…”

“Ah,” Weiss said, illuminated. She dropped the two clumps of fur into the medium-sized kitchen trash can that rested against the wall of the kitchen, brushing her own hair out of her face with a bit of annoyance. “I’m actually thinking about getting mine cut at some point soon - the length didn’t bother me before, because I’d just put it up in a ponytail, but I can’t really keep my ears out if I do that - I tried it once, but they got kinda squished when I pulled all my hair back...”

“Welcome to my world,” Blake laughed. “I actually wanted to try going for a chin-length bob at some point, to really solidify my brand with the Bisexual Haircut.”

Weiss chuckled. “I didn’t realize that that was a thing.”

“Oh, it is,” she laughed. Her cheeks got a bit rosy for a moment, and she looked over at her girlfriend, still at the table. “What do you think, Yang?”

She looked up, giving Blake a smile. “I think it’d look really good! And you can still enjoy the long-haired lifestyle vicariously through me, because I  _ refuse _ to cut this any shorter than the distance from my head to my ass.”

“Well thank goodness that  _ that _ will still be on display,” Blake laughed, causing Ruby and Weiss to meet each others’ eyes and immediately roll them.

“I wonder what a ‘lesbian haircut’ would look like,” Weiss said, dropping the rest of Ruby’s fur into the garbage can. 

“Probably something super short like mine,” Ruby said, grabbing the hand vacuum. “But I’m a bit more of a butch, so…”

Yang laughed. “Ruby, you are a futch at  _ most. _ You’re not even buff.”

“Butches don’t  _ have  _ to be buff!” Ruby said hotly. “And besides, I’m working on it!” She flexed her bicep in Yang’s direction to prove her point, and Weiss didn’t mind the view one bit. 

“Sure, but c’mon,” Yang said, throwing her hair up in a quick ponytail with the tie that she’d left on her wrist. Weiss noticed that she did have to bring her ears in to do it. She stood up, turning her back towards them, and put her foot up on her chair. When she flexed both arms, her back was  _ shockingly _ toned - she looked like a Greek goddess, all rippling muscle. Her ponytail trailed down her spine, but that somehow just enhanced the entire thing, as it was  _ just _ thin enough to not cover up the most impressive parts of her glorious arms and shoulders. Yang smirked at Ruby. “You’re not quite there yet.”

Weiss just drank in the sight for a moment, utterly entranced - she knew Yang wasn’t  _ weak _ by any means, and she was remarkably tall. But Weiss had  _ never _ seen a woman so muscular and so confident about it before, and a certain segment of her brain was all too happy to inform her that she would very much like to see that kind of woman again, and at frequent intervals.

Her cheeks got very red, very quickly, and she looked away - unfortunately, this meant that her eyes fell on Blake, who had  _ clearly _ just noticed the expression that Weiss had been making towards her girlfriend. Weiss’ eyes widened, ready to blurt out an apology, but Blake just gave her a smile, waving it away with her hand.

“Relax. She’s hot, I get it. If Yang and I were super possessive or something, then I wouldn’t be standing naked in my kitchen making dinner for all of us.”

Weiss just let out a tiny smile, too embarrassed to reply.

“Yeah,” Yang said, thoughtful. She pulled her hair back out of her ponytail and sat back down. “With the way that Adam was, I guess that’s fair - I never realized…”

“Mm-hm,” Blake just hummed tersely.

“Yeah…” Yang said, her voice low. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring him up…”

“No, it’s okay,” Blake said. She stopped for a moment. “I just realized, we… we never actually finished telling that story to you guys.”

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a look.

“You… really don’t have to finish that story, if you don’t want to,” Ruby said. “We’re happy to listen if you want to tell us, but…”

“You really don’t owe us that information,” Weiss finished. Ruby nodded, in full agreement.

Blake gave them a full, genuine,  _ grateful _ smile. “I’m okay with sharing, I promise,” she said. “But… thank you. Thank you both.”

“Of course,” Weiss said, moving to sit down at the table, across from Yang.

“Here, I’ll take over,” Ruby said softly, offering to stir the sauce that Blake was heating up. Blake gave her a grateful nod before walking into the kitchen, going to sit down at the table with Yang. She’d put her laptop and notebook away by now, and Blake slid a chair over to unsubtly sit right up against her. Yang wordlessly draped an arm around her shoulders.

“Okay!” Blake said apparently resolving to just get through this. “Where’d we leave off?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really, really enjoyed the floofy werecreature antics in this fic, and I figured that it had been long enough before the whole gang had some fun downtime together. I *really* enjoyed exploring their dynamic as a group, and I hope the same was true for you all.
> 
> If anyone in the comments recommends that I bump the rating up to M, I'll happily do so - if you can tell where the next chapter is heading, I fear that the rating was headed in that direction regardless, but for violence as opposed to nudity. I really, *truly* hope that this doesn't alienate anyone who's been enjoying the fic so far, and I'm certainly never going to reach a point where I show a full on sex scene, or even anything close (not in this fic, anyways). However, I'm not really familiar with the ratings standards for AO3, so I'll follow audience recommendations for this sort of thing.
> 
> Regardless, thank you so very much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter.
> 
> -R


	18. Night Terrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that fluff and love last chapter was a nice break, wasn't it? Well, now it's over.
> 
> In all seriousness, a segment in this chapter is remarkably violent - significantly more than Chapter 9. If you want to skip it, once you see the first vertical dividing line, keep scrolling until you reach the second one. There's a little bit of plot that you'll miss, but not too much. The violence is purely isolated to that section.
> 
> Also, if you've been keeping up with this fic as each chapter is published (as opposed to binge-reading it in one go) I recommend that you might want to get a quick refresher on Blake's story from Chapter 13. If you're binge-reading, it should be fresh enough, but that chapter *was* published two weeks ago, which is several thousand years in 2020 time, so you may want to briefly skim that section as a reminder.
> 
> With that out of the way, please enjoy this chapter of The Werewolf of Beacon...
> 
> -Red

“So, right. I had just gotten to Vale, to Beacon, after running away from Adam and the White Fang. I had a few weeks before classes started, so I was just spending a lot of my time in the woods near campus. I didn’t wanna bother anyone, I didn’t wanna even _see_ anyone - I honestly was pretending that I didn’t exist.” Blake let out a hollow little laugh. “I slept in a _lot_ of trees for those few weeks.” Yang just wordlessly rubbed her shoulder.

“Classes started, and I started living with a clueless human girl on campus. She was fine - she was never directly _malicious_ or anything, but we weren’t friends. She spent a lot of time out partying, which was fine with me. When she was gone, I was in our room, and when she was there, I was in the library. No matter what, I was always looking over my shoulder.” Blake sighed. “I just wanted to keep my head down, get an education, and hopefully find some kind of job or something where I’d be able to support myself, and never have to think about Adam, or the White Fang, or even other weres, ever again.”

“What changed?” Weiss asked softly.

Blake looked up at her girlfriend, giving her a warm, soft, tender smile. It was immediately returned, and Yang placed a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

“I met Yang,” she said sweetly. “We had a class in the same building at the same time. There was this boy in my class, and he would always try to talk to me afterwards. He insisted that it was because he wanted to be ‘partners on an assignment,’ but it was abundantly clear what he was _really_ after.”

Weiss just nodded - she’d had plenty of men come onto her with similar agendas.

“So, I wasn’t really having any of that,” Yang said, taking over the story for a little while. “The dude was _not_ subtle about it - so I started sitting close to the door in my class, and was the first one out. As soon as Blake left, I’d just walk beside her, not giving the guy a chance.”

“I actually didn’t even notice the first three times she did it,” Blake said, embarrassed. “I was just keeping my head down. But the fourth time, she asked me if I was okay with her doing it, or if I wanted her to leave me alone, too.”

“I felt bad,” Yang said. “I’d tried to talk to her the first couple of times - I could smell she was a were, and I figured that she knew that I was too, so I didn’t wanna come off like I was getting close to her as, like… a courting thing.”

“But... weren’t you?” Weiss asked, confused. Yang shook her head.

“Not at first,” she said definitively. “I just saw a girl being annoyed by a dude who couldn’t take a hint, and considering that I’m taller than he was, I figured he’d back off if I just kinda stood between him and Blake.”

“Anyways,” Blake said, “When she finally spoke to me, and I hadn’t even noticed that she’d been there, I…” she blushed. “I was grateful, but I was just so scared of people, especially werecreatures. I was honestly so paranoid that I thought there was a chance that Adam had sent her to find me and bring me back to Menagerie.”

Weiss nodded. “A few months ago, I’d say that was a ridiculous concept, but considering that my own father has _actually_ sent men to come and get me... I think your fears might have been slightly justified.”

“Yeah, it seems like my ex-boyfriend would really get along with your dad,” Blake managed.

“I doubt it,” Weiss said with a snort. “He called my lycanthropy a ‘disgusting curse,’ so I figure that his regular, human racism has extended to werecreatures, now that he’s a vampire.”

“Fair enough,” Yang laughed. “But anyways, I asked Blake if it was okay that I was standing near her to keep her away from this dude, and she said she hadn’t even noticed.”

Blake nodded. “I - I liked Yang, even at first, but the fact that she was a were made me think she might have _some_ kind of connection to Adam, so I was… hesitant.” She sighed. “I’d been spending my moons alone in the woods near campus - I went for whatever prey I could find, took it down as quickly as I could, and then once I’d had enough to make sure I wasn’t going to go hungry, I’d climb up a tree and go to sleep.”

“Then, some time in early October, I was just… really unlucky. Everything I went for just _barely_ got away - two rabbits and a squirrel, I think. I hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep the previous night, because my stupid roommate woke me up at three AM coming home drunk from a party, and then I see this deer running towards me, already wounded.”

“At that point I was just _so hungry_ that I went for a kill bite, not even imagining that other weres were out hunting that night - I thought I was just really lucky, and I didn’t want to question it.”

Yang picked up the thread.

“So, that same night, I had been chasing this deer for a solid ten minutes,” She said. “I got a good hit on her hind leg, but she was so hyped up on adrenaline that it didn’t _really_ slow her down - it was only my second moon at Beacon, and I wasn’t used to hunting without Ruby or Dad yet. The deer hops a bush, and so do I, and then there it is, already dead, in the jaws of a black werepanther.”

“I wanted to threaten her at first,” Blake said. “Where I’d grown up, a kill was a kill, and if you stole it from another animal - even another were - that didn’t make a difference. It was yours, and if they wanted it, it meant that there was going to be a fight.” She sighed. “But, I quickly realized that I didn’t _really_ have the right to claim it as mine, so I just kinda dropped it on the ground for her to take.”

“So, when I saw that,” Yang said, “I realized a few things. Firstly, that she looked hungry but had still put the deer back down. Secondly, she was hunting alone, too.” She let out a little chuckle. “Now, I’m not shy, and I can put away quite a bit of food on my own - but a whole deer is a bit much, even for me. So I just tore off a piece and walked a respectable distance away, giving her the chance to eat.”

“When I realized she was giving most of it to me, I was too grateful to question it,” Blake said. “I ate, like… the entire thing - and then I was so _full_ and _tired_ that I didn’t really wanna move. But I was still worried about keeping my head down and everything…”

“Eventually, I realized that this was the same girl I’d been seeing twice a week, on her way out from class,” Yang said. “And I offered her my hand to sniff, so she’d know it was me, too. Once she realized, she just kinda… curled up, I guess. I’d seen how jumpy she was, and it was like two in the morning, but I tried to keep watch while she slept.”

“Of course, she couldn’t stay up all night, and I eventually woke up in my human form with my head resting on a soft pair of pillows that were attached to a cute blonde,” Blake said. “She told me her name, I started seeing her on my way out of that class twice a week, and then again at the next moon, and…” she laughed. “One day walking back from class, she gives me a little strip of notebook paper with her number on it.”

“Just like that?” Ruby asked. “Oh, pasta’s just about ready, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Yang said. “And I didn’t know where it was gonna go, at first - I didn’t know if she liked girls or anything. But we started texting, and then she complained about her roommate talking loudly on the phone, so I might’ve told her that I had a single off-campus, and then…”

“Okay, I think I see where this is going,” Weiss said with a laugh.

“Yeah,” Blake agreed. “My fear about her being related in any way to Adam was, obviously, totally unfounded - he was possessive enough to want me back by any means necessary, but he was also _way too_ possessive to allow ‘any means necessary’ to include a girl gaining my trust by sleeping with me.”

“Did he even know you were into girls?” Ruby asked, a note of contempt in her voice. She was handing out bowls, making sure to give the one with just parmesan to Weiss, who smiled gratefully.

“Oh, _I_ didn’t know I was into girls until I met Yang,” Blake said with a laugh.

“What can I say? I’ve got that effect on women,” Yang boasted.

“Sure, but in actuality, I was just repressed because I got a boyfriend when I was like fifteen, and had never thought ‘huh, that one girl with the long brown ponytail is cute,’” Blake said. “Er. Well. I _did_ think that, I just… didn’t realize what it _meant.”_

“Cheers to that,” Weiss said, holding up her drink. “My sparring partner back in Atlas was so hot that when she gave me _this_ -” she put a finger up to her scarred eye “ - _I_ was the one apologizing to _her.”_ Blake chuckled and clinked glasses with her.

“That does kinda sound like you,” Ruby laughed, earning her a smack on the arm. The jovial atmosphere in the room died down a little bit, and Ruby asked, “Not to get back into the bad stuff, but… you said this was about Adam.”

“Unfortunately, it still is,” Blake said. “I didn’t really have anywhere to, uh, _go,_ during winter break, but I didn’t want to tell Yang that. I hadn’t told her _anything_ about my past. Beacon stays open all year, for international students who don’t want to fly all the way home for a holiday that they don’t really celebrate and stuff, so I just kinda stayed on campus. My job at the library was closed down for a while, because they wanted to keep a really light staff over the break. That made grocery money kinda tight, so I hunted to supplement the human food I still had back in my dorm room.”

She sighed darkly.

“And then one night, I saw him.”

“Adam?” Weiss asked. Blake nodded.

“He was far away, and it was the dead of night - he doesn’t really have great night vision like I do, and I blend in and stuff, so I just… I ran. I _sprinted_ back to my bag, got dressed as quickly as I could, ran back on campus and holed myself up in my room completely. I didn’t even _think_ about leaving for three days.”

Yang’s arm tightened around her shoulders.

“Now, when I saw Adam in his ox, from behind, I didn’t stop or anything - I ran _instantly.”_ Blake said. “Which was great, and probably the smartest thing to do, but… at first, I managed to convince myself that I’d just been seeing things. I really needed to buy groceries anyways, and there was the tiny store that’s right on campus, so I figured that that quick little trip would be safe.”

“It wasn’t, was it?” Weiss asked darkly. Blake shook her head.

“He was _there._ I saw him, in his human form, on campus. His back was turned, and I just froze up, as if I was afraid that he could sense me or something. I started just slowly backing away, the grocery trip forgotten, and I went right back to my room.”

“As soon as I was inside, I called Yang - I didn’t know what else to do. I had no family, no friends in the area or anything…”

“Was this… two days after Christmas?” Ruby asked slowly. 

“Yes,” Blake said. “How did you…?”

“Well, Yang was back in Patch with me and Dad,” Ruby said. “I remember her talking on the phone in our room with the door shut, and then she goes to tell Dad that she wants to check up on stuff in her apartment - she’d been gone for two weeks, and she hadn’t found a sublet or anything.”

“I mean… I _did_ water my plants,” Yang said. “But first, I was breaking the speed limit with Bumblebee, going directly to campus to be with Blake.” She let out a little laugh. “I parked that bike at a normal bike rack outside Blake’s building - I didn’t even have a _lock,_ so anybody could have picked her up and taken her to a chop shop or something, but I ran up to Blake’s room without even thinking about it.”

“I held her for a while, and she explained everything that she hadn’t over the phone. When she felt confident enough to go out _with_ me, we did, and we bought groceries, and then I gave her the key to my apartment and told her that she could stay there for as long as she wanted.”

Weiss’ eyebrows went up - she knew quite a bit about the generosity of these two siblings, but even with that context, Yang’s act was still impressively trusting and kind.

“I refused at first - I think she had to actually force my fingers closed around the key,” Blake said, with a melancholy smile. “So I stayed there for the rest of the break, and then when Yang came back, we just kind of… started living together, in that apartment. I had already brought my essentials, and I hated my roommate enough that I basically just moved out over the course of, like… five trips. I didn’t really have too much to begin with.”

“Then, one moon in February,” Yang said, her voice dripping with venom, “I got to meet the ex-boyfriend that I’d heard so much about.”

“He was _still there?”_ Weiss asked, shocked. “After _two months?”_

“I _did_ say he was possessive,” Blake said with a shrug. “He usually doesn’t do very well with snowy areas - I don’t really know how he ate, where he got the money to buy human food, how he stayed hidden in the woods or wherever, but… he must have.”

“One night, we were getting ready for the moon, and then he was just… standing there, a few dozen feet off. Watching us.”

* * *

“Hey, pal!” Yang called out to the silent redheaded stranger. “Can I help you, or are you just gonna stand there and watch two women get undressed?” She’d taken off her shirt despite the last remnants of the winter chill in the air, but was mostly clothed otherwise.

“Yang…” Blake said, her voice barely a whisper. She was sitting on the blanket that they’d laid out over the freshly-fallen snow, shaking like a leaf despite the fact that she still had a coat on. “That’s… that’s _him._ That’s Adam.”

Yang’s face immediately turned deadly serious. She leaned down over Blake, privately asking, “Think there’s any chance of this ending without a fight?”

Blake just wordlessly shook her head, and Yang nodded, expecting that answer. Tenderly, she placed a kiss on the crown of Blake’s head. “Be right back,” she whispered. Blake’s ears stayed flat against her head. She grabbed Yang’s arm, stopping her. 

“No, please,” Blake said. “We can’t - his were is _absurdly_ strong, we… we have to run.”

Yang slowly blinked. She wanted to turn back to Blake, but the man slowly approaching them maintained her full visual attention.

“If we try to run, we’ll just end up changing, and then humans will see us,” she said, her voice soft. “And you said this guy takes himself pretty seriously.” She looked down at Blake for just a moment, taking the hand that was previously wrapped around her wrist and squeezing it tightly. “But I _refuse_ to let him haunt you anymore.” She turned back to Adam, resolute.

His footsteps were still casual, unhurried. He appeared to have made the same realization that they had - if they ran back to campus or to Yang’s apartment, they’d end up changing before they could hide themselves from humans. A wicked pair of jet-black horns twisted up out of his ginger hair, their ruthless, almost _cruel_ shape ever so slightly outmatched in those qualities by the smirk on his face when he realized that they were trapped.

“Yang, _please,_ I - I can’t lose you!” Blake cried out, no longer caring if Adam could hear.

Yang reached a hand up to cup her cheek, softly kissing her on the lips.

“You won’t,” she said. “I promise.”

“That girl has a _boyfriend,_ you know,” Adam said, now maybe fifty feet away from them. “You shouldn’t be kissing her when she belongs to someone else.”

“Last I checked, Blake is a person, and she doesn’t ‘belong’ to anyone,” Yang said coolly. She walked several feet away from the blanket, planting a boot in the snow. She raised her fists in front of her face like a boxer. She closed her lilac eyes, and when they were open once more, they were red as blood. “Especially not an asshole like you.”

Adam actually shook his head at that, tutting with disapproval. He looked over to Blake, who was still frozen to the blanket, as if his mere presence made her unable to move.

“You _know_ that I hate it when people lie about me, Blake,” he said. “What was the number one thing that I told you that I hated about the humans? The careless, greedy, _destructive_ humans who tried to cut down our forest?”

Blake couldn’t help herself. The answer leapt out of her throat automatically.

“They misrepresented us,” she said numbly. “They lied, and said that we weren’t really trying to protect the forest. That we were just humans - terrorists - trying to destroy a company.”

“That’s right,” Adam said, praising her answer. His voice was about as kind as salt on a flesh wound. He stopped around twenty feet away from Yang, but looked to Blake. “Why do you have to keep hurting me like this?”

Yang just strafed a little bit to her right, keeping herself directly between Blake and Adam.

 _“I’m_ gonna hurt you a hell of a lot worse if you don’t leave us the fuck alone,” Yang threatened, her anger visibly building in her posture alone. 

Adam laughed, a cruel, heartless laugh, as if he’d stepped on a bug and saw it still writhing, barely clinging to life.

“Oh, I can see why you like her, Blake,” he said, still refusing to acknowledge Yang directly. “She’s quite funny.” Finally, he also took up a fighting stance. “I’ll almost feel bad killing her.”

 _“Adam!”_ Blake pleaded.

“It’s not worth it, Blake,” Yang said. “I’m just gonna have to tear this guy’s throat out and then we’ll move on with our lives.” Her raised fists shifted into claws - whether it was because of the moon or if it was a conscious choice was impossible to tell. All three of them were actively resisting the pull of the moon at this point, so that they could keep having this conversation.

“Only one kind of joke,” Adam said, his voice almost genuinely disappointed. “That’s a shame. I was just starting to like you.”

“Feeling’s not mutual, jackass,” Yang said. “Are you gonna stand around pontificating, or are you gonna fight?”

At this, Adam lowered himself out of his fighting stance and into a sprinter’s one, actually placing his hands down on the ground. Yang let her guard down for the tiniest moment, slightly confused. In their very last moments of resistance against the pull of the moon and its inescapable urge to transform, Adam mumbled, “... Fine.”

The moment he gave into the change, his muscles rippled and grew, tearing away the flimsy black windbreaker and jeans that he’d been wearing. His body shifted, expanding upwards and outwards as he charged at Yang, horns lowered. He kept growing and growing as he ran, and by the time he reached her, he was nearly eleven feet of raw muscle and power, with horns that were almost six feet wide. He now looked like an angry minotaur from ancient Greek legend. 

Every ounce of that raw strength crashed into Yang like a bus.

 _“YANG!”_ Blake’s strangled voice cried out in the darkness, as if she could beg her not to be struck. She lost vision momentarily as the change finally overtook her, and when she opened the eyes of her were, two long tracks in the snow ran all the way up to her, and a furry yellow beast stood upright, her back just inches from Blake’s face.

As he charged, Yang had transformed into her own were, simultaneously _catching_ Adam’s horns with her hands. He’d pushed her nearly fifteen feet backwards along the ground, but Yang held firm. Once Adam’s momentum ran out, she brought a swift knee up to his chest, tossing him aside like a ragdoll. 

Adam fell hard on his back. Yang leapt after him to go for his throat, but he swatted her entire body out of the air with one enormous arm, sending Yang rolling into the snow. He began to stand, and now that Yang was no longer in the way, he reached out for Blake.

Blake raised her claws with a hiss, but Adam immediately drove a cloven hoof into her stomach, knocking her back against the thin tree that sheltered their blanket. Blake felt it splinter inwards from her weight. Adam stopped for a moment, almost curious, but he soon reached for her throat with both arms.

A pair of yellow claws dug into Adam’s waist as Yang grabbed him from behind, attempting to suplex him over her shoulder. Adam cried out in momentary pain, but his sheer mass was apparently too much for Yang to lift. He grabbed her wrists and tore her claws out of his chest, spinning around. He lifted her off of her feet with one hand, slamming her into the ground. She groaned softly, not standing up. 

Satisfied, Adam turned back to Blake, once again reaching for her. Blake ducked, swinging upwards in a claw strike aimed directly for his face. Adam leaned back to just barely avoid the blow. He was surprisingly quick, given his enormous size. He reached for her once more, but Blake ducked underneath him again, her lithe form diving between his legs.

When Adam turned around once more, Blake was poised over Yang, growling on all fours. When he took a step forward, she roared, _furiously_ protective of the fallen wolf. 

This gave Adam pause, and in a tiny moment of cognition amongst his blind combat instinct, he actually shook his head, letting his two blue eyes close to express his disappointment with her. When he opened them, she was still there, fangs bared, daring him not to come any closer. 

Like lighting, Adam took three steps forward and reached for her, grabbing Blake by the scruff of the neck, as if the seven-foot-tall werepanther were no more than a baby kitten. She clawed at his arm desperately before he punched her in the abdomen with his other hand, winding her. He tossed Blake aside uselessly, raising a foot to crush Yang’s windpipe. Her lilac eyes opened and instantly reddened as she rolled to the side, and Adam’s massive cloven hoof dug into nothing but snow. As she rolled, Yang took a swipe at Adam’s Achilles tendon. He fell to one knee, now approximately Yang’s height.

Yang leapt to her feet, hurling a barrage of claw strikes at Adam with a boxer’s precision. He calmly dodged away from nearly all of them, blocking what he couldn’t avoid with his massive forearms. The instant that Yang overcommitted, he brought a swift punch to her chest. When she doubled over, he interlaced both fingers and brought them down onto her right ear, knocking her to the ground in a heap.

Before he could properly stand, though, he was swept off his feet as the entire trunk of the broken tree splintered to pieces against his back - Blake had smacked it into him like a massive bat, putting all of her strength into the swing. Adam rolled and ended up on his hands and knees.

Blinded by fury, Blake leapt above him, realizing her mistake just an instant too late. Adam flicked his head to the right, bringing one horn up to Blake’s exposed stomach. The brutal keratin instrument gored her right in the abdomen. She’d been fully impaled, just above her left hip. Adam tossed Blake several feet backwards over his head, turning around to find her laying on her back, panting heavily, one claw covering the wound. 

Yang, still not quite down for the count, stepped in front of her. It wasn’t obvious underneath her fur, but she was badly bruised - her right ear was now crushed against her head, no longer standing upright. Despite this, she looked Adam dead in the face, curling a paw towards him. 

_Try it. I dare you._

Adam lowered himself into his sprinter’s stance once more, charging Yang with all the strength he had left. However, at the very last moment, his right leg gave out, and he tripped, his wounded Achilles tendon having given him everything that it could. Adam stumbled mid-charge, and the massive size of his horns worked against him. His right horn drove into the earth like an anchor, almost stopping him before Yang even needed to. Yang caught his other horn with one claw, and Adam looked up at her, momentarily stunned. As soon as he realized that he’d fallen, she swiped downwards with her left claw.

Birds flew out of their perches in fear at the agonized sound that echoed throughout the woods.

Adam scrambled backwards, the power in his massive form completely gone as he tried to pull himself away along the ground, one hand clutching his now-missing left eye. With the other, he tried to drag himself away along the ground, accompanied by his only fully functional leg. Yang took a few steps forward, trying to give chase, but she fell to her knees, clutching her aching head. Blood had begun to well up from her damaged ear, and the several brutal blows that Adam had dealt to her chest and face had begun to take their toll. The red in her eyes finally gave out, her energy spent, as they returned to lilac.

Yang lifted her head to watch Adam limp away. Blake, too, now drifting in and out of consciousness, watched Yang. She was still on her knees, but she momentarily forgot her pain as she let out a primal, triumphant howl to the sky - her sustained note high, powerful, and victorious.

The message was clear: _And don’t EVER come back._

The last thing Blake remembered before losing consciousness was feeling Yang gently scoop her up in her arms, wrapping the remainder of their blanket around her still-bleeding waist, taking their overnight bag in her teeth, and limping off towards a tiny cave - shelter - while they waited for morning to come.

* * *

“By the moon…” Ruby whispered quietly. Their meal had been finished and forgotten nearly half an hour ago.

“Is… is _that_ why your ear doesn’t stand up anymore?” Weiss asked. 

“Yup,” Yang replied, the word low and reflective. She brought a hand up to it, gently unfurling it, wincing a little. “The bleeding and everything stopped, and it still mostly works, but… cartilage doesn’t fully heal like that, not even for us.”

“And… your chest?” Ruby asked, of Blake. She timidly stood, and both of them noticed a circular puncture wound just above her left hip. It was subtle, now, but the skin had still obviously knit itself back together, leaving a fleshy scar.

“I only needed a bandage for two days,” Blake said. “And I’m lucky he missed my large intestine, but I could _feel_ my kidney growing itself back for, like… a week. It _hurt_ \- way, way more than any other injury I’d ever had.”

“I’m… surprised that it scarred,” Weiss said, idly. The three of them looked at her. “I mean, I guess I’m still new to this stuff, but I thought only silver could _really_ hurt us - permanently, anyways.”

“Well, for one thing, the scars we get while we’re growing up still stay with us - for born weres, we don’t _really_ start healing until we’re like ten years old or so,” Ruby said. She offered Weiss a look at her left wrist, turning it so her thumb faced upwards. It was very subtle, but there was actually a tiny scar there, a jagged line of raised flesh.

“Bike crash, when I was nine,” Ruby said. “I landed on my wrist, and it scarred, but it somehow didn’t fracture or break.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed. “But still - his horns weren’t _silvered,_ were they?”

“No,” Blake answered. “But he’d probably do that if it wouldn’t hurt him, too.” She looked at Weiss. “It’s true that silver is one of the few things on the planet that can _easily_ hurt us - and it’s actually so toxic that it burns us a little just from the touch. If you’re not super careful, you’ll end up with permanent scars.”

“I hope you weren’t attached to any silver jewelry,” Yang said to Weiss, trying to make light of it.

“The channels on my earlobes closed up anyways,” Weiss said with a shrug. “Consequences of super-healing.”

Nobody laughed, and it didn’t lighten anyone’s mood, but they all appreciated the attempt.

“Anyways,” Blake continued, “While silver is the only _substance_ on the planet that can easily give us permanent wounds, when it comes to weres, well…” she took a short sip of the water that she’d had with their meal, finishing it off. “If you want to cut a diamond, you need a diamond saw. The only things that can really, permanently wound us, besides injuries to vulnerable areas like Yang’s ear, are silver, powerful magic… and each other.”

“Oh…” Weiss said, her voice small.   
“She means our were form, in particular,” Yang noted. “A bite or a claw from Ruby’s wolf would _hurt,_ and it’d stick around for a few days, but it won’t stay forever like that bite on your leg.”

Weiss nodded, grateful for the clarification.

“We’re… not invincible, either,” Ruby murmured. “Silver leaves scars, but pretty much anything can kill us outright if the wound is severe enough.”

“... Like what?” Weiss asked, afraid to hear the answer.

“A really long fall, a big explosion, drowning, even something like a beheading or a cannonball through the chest,” Yang listed. “Basically, unless it’s silver or another were, we’ll heal from it eventually. But you can’t heal if you’re dead.”

“I… see your point,” Weiss said numbly. Ruby quietly took her hand under the table.

Weiss squeezed it.

“So… then what happened?”

Yang shrugged. “We woke up, our clothes destroyed, still badly injured. We shifted to stay warm in the cold, and spent the whole day there, in our little shelter. Eventually, I was okay enough to go hunting for small game, and I brought a few rabbits back for Blake to eat, to help her heal. We waited until around two in the morning, went back to the apartment, still shifted, and then…”

She let out a tiny little laugh. “We walked up three flights of stairs, butt naked, at two in the morning, praying to the moon that the neighbors didn’t see us. Somehow, they didn’t, and we got back to our old place, safe and sound. We haven’t seen Adam since.”

Blake nodded, her face grim. “But we know he’s out there.”

“Yang…” Ruby finally asked, “Why didn’t you call Dad? Why didn’t you text me, or _something?_ I just… why did you do this alone?”

“Dad… Dad would have freaked out if I’d told him right away,” Yang muttered. “And I didn’t wanna put you in danger.” Ruby crossed her arms at this, but she seemed to let it go. Yang shrugged. “I told Dad the gist, eventually. We had a hell of an argument about it at first - he didn’t talk to me for a week when I told him I wasn’t coming home. He said that Blake and I could _both_ stay in Patch, but…” she shook her head. “We couldn’t do that. We have school, jobs - _lives._ That bastard is terrifying, don’t get me wrong. He absolutely would have killed me if he’d gotten the chance. But… I won’t just sit at home, living in fear.”

Weiss nodded. “Neither will I.”

All three heads in the room turned to her. 

“What?” She asked. “Trust me, if I weren’t ready for this, I would be staying with my sister in Mantle. She and Robyn are _both_ pretty tough vampires, and they live with three werewolves. I have the stocks that I got from my father - I could sell everything tomorrow and pay their rent and groceries for eleven years, with inflation. Trust me, I’ve calculated it out.”

Her eyes fell on Blake, who was still clearly a little shaken from telling her tale, but she gave Weiss a small smile. Weiss’ gaze shifted to Yang, who had drawn much of herself inwards after reliving that trauma. Her face was impassive, but she gave Weiss a nod.

At last, Weiss looked at Ruby. Sweet, wonderful, brave, kind, _beautiful_ Ruby. Weiss took Ruby’s one hand in both of her own. She felt this sentiment about Blake and Yang, but for the moment, she was speaking only to Ruby.

“I like this family. I’m going to do everything that I can to keep it.”

Ruby’s eyes shone with emotion, and based on how her own vision was blurring, Weiss knew that she was also on the verge of tears. Ruby pulled her into a wordless hug, which Weiss was all too happy to accept. Her chest felt warm as Ruby buried her fingers in Weiss’ hair.

“We’ll be with you. Both of you. Every step of the way.”

Weiss was hardly able to focus - she wasn’t even sure _who_ had said it, between Blake and Yang. For all she knew, it could have been both of them, or merely something that she heard in her own mind. No matter what, though, Weiss knew that it was true - and she felt the same.

They all spent a while like that, before Weiss finally felt herself getting sore, leaning over to hug Ruby in her chair. She simply patted Ruby’s back once, feeling Ruby’s tender lips silently press themselves in-between her ears before she leaned back up at last. Weiss laughed a little bit, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get so emotional at the dinner table.”

“It’s all right,” Yang chuckled. “With everything that’s happened in the past couple weeks, I think we’ve all been feeling it.” She gave Blake a kiss on the head and stood from her chair, starting to clear their dishes.

“Oh,” Blake said, as if it had just occurred to her. “I actually ended up reconnecting with my parents about a week later - I knew Adam was around Menagerie, so I finally got so worried about them that I stopped being too ashamed to reach out, so I just…” she laughed. “I called my dad, left a voicemail, and then got a panicked call back around an hour later. I didn’t even realize that they were still paying for my scroll until just then.”

“That was a tough phone call,” Yang said, loading two bowls into the dishwasher. Weiss stood, taking her bowl and Ruby’s, to do the same.

“Yeah,” Blake said, with something between a sob and a laugh. “But, fortunately, they’re totally safe - and so is Menagerie. I actually spent this past summer there. Dad finally managed to stop the logging company, and last they’d heard of Adam, he’d taken a detachment of ‘brave souls’ in the White Fang to go ‘take revenge on the humans.’” She let out a bitter laugh. “I dunno how well that’s going for him, but apparently he still found the time to come see me.”

“Well, he’s also not _seeing_ as well as he used to,” Yang said with a crooked little grin.

The room was dead silent for a moment, but Weiss cracked first, letting out a genuine, bright laugh. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, “It’s just…”

“No, I get it,” Ruby laughed. “I mean. What happened is awful, but…”

“Yeah,” Blake said. She stood, putting a finger on her scar. “I’d laugh too, but I don’t think I have the _stomach_ for it.”

Everyone was so busy laughing that they couldn’t say a word for nearly two minutes.

* * *

“Hey,” Ruby said, flopping down on the pullout couch in her pajamas next to Weiss. It was only nine in the evening, but the exhaustion of their weekend - physically _and_ emotionally - had really begun to take its toll. “You about ready to call your brother?”

“Yes,” Weiss said. “Klein said he was ready five minutes ago, and I just… I’ve been sitting here, staring at the ‘call’ button, this whole time.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, quiet. “Here, I can give you some space -”

“No!” Weiss said, not realizing how sharp her voice was. Ruby froze for a second. “S-sorry,” Weiss said. “I didn’t mean to be so loud, I just…” she leaned up against Ruby’s shoulder. “Stay with me?” Ruby smiled.

“Of course.”

  
  
  


_“Right,”_ Whitley said. “Weiss, what drugs have you been taking? Father can be cold, but he’s not a _vampire_ \- magic isn’t real. You told me that when I was five.”

“Well, as it turns out, I was wrong,” Weiss replied. “I met an actual, real-life witch two days ago. She’s pleasant.”

“Look, I have a lot of homework to do - if you think you’re going to get a funny reaction to your childish prank, then I assure you, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“Want proof?” Weiss asked. Her tone was serious, but patient.

Whitley laughed aloud. “Yes, Weiss - _prove_ to me that magic is real. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Turn on your video.”

“What?”

“Do it.”

“Weiss, I’m not going to -”

“Fine. Just look at the screen.”

Weiss took a breath, looking at Ruby. She just nodded, scooching a little bit away from Weiss as she turned on her scroll’s video camera.

“Ta-da,” Weiss said, like the world’s most bored magician. With her free hand, she gestured to her ears.

“Congratulations, you’re like every cosplayer on social media. Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Wordlessly, Weiss flattened her ears against her head. She then straightened them out on high alert, and then wiggled them forwards and backwards, alternating.

“That’s not - what is that, a canned animation or something…?”

“Whitley, meet Ruby,” Weiss said, turning the camera around and pointing it at her. Ruby, also sporting her own pair of ears, gave a nervous little wave. 

“Uh, hi!” Ruby said. “I’m your sister’s roommate!”

“Fascinating. Am I to understand that you’re also a ‘werewolf?’”

“Yup!” Ruby said. She got up a little and turned around, making sure that Weiss had a good view of her lower back. She then let her tail out, and began to wag it a little bit.

“I’m… that’s… that’s not real.”

“Oh, it is,” Weiss said. Making sure the camera had a good angle, she grabbed Ruby’s tail and pulled.

“Ouch!” Ruby said, as Weiss pulled her backwards a little bit. “Hey!”

“Sorry,” she said. She flipped the camera around. “Convinced yet? Here, here’s the bite mark that Ruby gave me when she Turned me.” She pulled up the leg of her pajama pants, showing him the bite.

“That could have come from anything,” Whitley said, desperately trying to hold on to his current view of the world.

“It’s almost wider than my hand,” Weiss said, showing him. “Come on, you _know_ that there aren’t any dogs with mouths that big.”

“Weiss, we’re not getting anywhere. Let me just change for him.”

“Are you sure?” Weiss asked. “You’re not too tired?”

Ruby shrugged. “It won’t be too bad - I’ll just sleep right after.”

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Whitley demanded.

“Just watch,” Ruby said. Weiss turned the camera around as Ruby knelt at the foot of the bed, taking her shirt off.

“Oh, _now_ I’m watching,” Whitley said, his voice oozing with the unique perversion of a fourteen-year-old boy.

“NOT funny,” Weiss said sternly. “She’s four years older than you, and _definitely_ not interested.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t _watch._ Wow, she’s really got a superb pair of _-_ ”

“I’m also a massive, raging lesbian, and I’ll come all the way to Atlas just to kick your ass if you say one more thing about my body,” Ruby said, covering her breasts with one arm. “Try me.”

Whitley was silent, having evidently chosen not to try her.

Ruby shook her head, a little bit annoyed, and pushed her shorts down. Then, as Weiss had seen several times before, she closed her eyes, concentrating, and changed.

A moment later, Ruby, now in her wolf, sat back on her haunches. She looked _directly_ into the camera.

“Satisfied?” Weiss asked, returning to the front camera on her scroll. 

“I…” Whitley stopped. “Okay, so _if_ I believed you, which I’m not saying I do… why are you telling me this? If Winter’s been a ‘vampire’ for as long as you say she has, then why are you two only telling me about your little mythical creatures’ club now?”

Weiss sighed.

“Two days ago, Father came to my dorm room, demanding I accompany him. When I didn’t, he kicked our door in, and would have killed Ruby and kidnapped me if he had been able to cross our threshold.”

Whitley was silent.

“You _know_ he’s cut me off, don’t you? I’m sure that he’s already started designating you as the heir to the SDC. Whitley, Father is… unstable. I don’t know what brought about his vampirism, and I don’t know why he did what he did to Winter - or why he wants to do the same thing to me.” She took in a breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But there’s a _clear_ pattern here, and you’ll be next.”

“So what the hell would you have me do? If Father’s as powerful as you say, what chance do I have? Shall I hole up, sharpen some stakes, make a final stand in the ballroom?”

“Your house has a _ballroom?”_ Ruby asked. Weiss gave her a shrug of acknowledgement.

“You can call Winter,” Weiss said. “She’s been going to law school since she graduated from Atlas - a friend of hers is an emancipation lawyer. Between the two of us, Winter and I have a place for you to stay and enough money to go to college debt-free. It won’t be easy, and it _certainly_ won’t be as luxurious as the Schnee mansion -”

“Oh, I can see _that,”_ Whitley said with distaste. “What are you sitting on right now? A _futon?”_ Weiss rolled her eyes with frustration.

“Listen here, Junior Jackass,” Ruby said. “Your dad is an actual power-mad vampire. He will absolutely try to make you a vampire too, and when he does, he’ll probably be able to make you do whatever he wants. You can give up the tailored suits or be _literally_ buried in one - it’s up to you.”

The line was silent once more.

“Whitley,” Weiss said, trying to be Good Cop to Ruby’s Bad Cop, “I know that this won’t be easy. I admit, I’ve… _accustomed,_ to this life, faster than I was expecting to. Perhaps it really hasn’t hit me yet, how many things I’ve given up.” She gave Ruby a soft smile, grateful that she was out of the camera’s view. “Perhaps I’ve found something far more valuable than money.”

Whitley scoffed.

“Either way, I also have something _very_ important - freedom from our father. Trust me, _that_ is something worth risking everything for.” She sighed, looking for more avenues to convince him. “You don’t have to make the choice all at once. If I were you, I’d start using his money in the ways you know you’ll be able to get away with right now. I don’t _think_ that Father will fully Turn you while you’re so young - he knows you’ll stop aging, and I’m sure that he’ll be very concerned about your appearance. Plus, now that you _know_ he’s a vampire, you’ll be able to recognize the signs of him preparing to Turn you.”

“But if you reach out to Winter, she’ll get you in contact with her emancipation lawyer friend. She’ll also give you her address, and you can live with her and her roommates if you ever feel unsafe. Her roommate Joanna has a car, and one of them will take it to go and pick you up, any time of the day or night.”

“Why?” Whitley finally asked. “Why do you two care so much about me all of a sudden? It’s not as though you were ever close to your ‘baby brother’ - you were always obsessed with getting Winter’s approval, and never had a spare moment for me.”

Weiss closed her eyes. That hurt, and Whitley knew it - but she had to admit that he had a point.

“You’re right,” Weiss said slowly. “I haven’t been a good sister to you - neither has Winter. When I compare myself to Ruby and _her_ sister, I’m pretty sure that I’ve been one of the least caring siblings on the planet.”

“Weiss…” Ruby said gently. Weiss held up a finger, shushing her.

“But now more than ever, I know _intimately_ well what it feels like to be victimized by that man. To have him treat you like a possession, like a belonging. Something he can _use_ for his own power.” She stared directly into the camera. “And I _refuse_ to let that happen to anyone - especially you.”

Whitley was quiet for a long time. He let out a tiny laugh.

“Finally developing a heart, dear sister?”

Weiss just gave him a wan smile. “You’d be surprised.” She shrugged. “Listen, just… think it over. I know that this is a lot to take in, but… I promise, I wouldn’t be asking you to uproot your whole life like this if I didn’t think it was necessary.” She sighed. “Plus, now that you know about this…”

“I’m still not certain I believe you,” Whitley said.

“Sure you don’t,” Weiss said dismissively. “Either way. I just want you to be safe, and…” she sighed. “I _really_ wouldn’t mind hearing anything you can tell me about Father’s whereabouts - especially if you know he’s coming to Vale.”

“Wait…” Whitley said, perplexed. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Weiss, Father has been in Vale for the last _month,_ overseeing a new acquisition for the SDC. He said it would probably last until November at the earliest.”

Weiss and Ruby exchanged worried looks.

“I see,” she said. “That would… explain a few things.” She sighed. “But if nothing else, that means that you probably have a lot of time to think about this. I can tell you more about the specifics of vampirism if you’d like, and I’m sure that Winter and Robyn can tell you a lot too.”

“Winter and who?”

Weiss laughed. “Oh, er… Winter is pansexual, and has been dating a woman named Robyn for the past three years.”

Whitley had never turned his camera on, but Weiss was almost _certain_ that he was blinking in surprise. “Oh, I’m also a lesbian.” She added with a snicker. “So, if you start finding men attractive, or questioning your gender identity… it apparently runs in the family.”

Ruby giggled at that.

“Weiss… I’m going to hang up now.”

“Wait,” she said, becoming serious again. “Are you at least going to think on what I said?”

Whitley let out a long-suffering sigh. “Yes. Yes, Weiss, I am _apparently_ going to actually consider this.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said. “And I’m… I’m so sorry that it’s come to this.”

“So am I.” Whitley said, suddenly weary beyond his years. With a sigh, he continued. “Oh, and Weiss. One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“What are you two planning to do about Mother?”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Weiss poured herself a glass of water, troubled by her brother’s question. It was a valid one, and that’s what troubled her - their mother hadn’t been an active figure in their lives for almost as long as Weiss could remember. The last time she’d been anywhere close to one was Weiss’ tenth birthday party, when a tiny, thoughtless comment about their wedding from her mother had escalated into a full-blown argument where her father had finally admitted that the only reason for that wedding in the first place was for her family name and all the prestige it carried - both inside the company and beyond it. 

After that, Willow Schnee had spent the better portion of her time drinking in the garden, drinking in her now-seperate bedroom, drinking on the fourth-floor balcony, and, Weiss imagined, living in fear of the _eventual_ hangover that was sure to strike her dead the moment she stopped drinking. Weiss couldn’t say that she’d been a good mother, or even much of one at all, but… well.

She couldn’t just leave her there in that mansion, could she?

“Who’s there?”

Weiss jumped. “Just me, sorry - I was thirsty!”

“Oh,” came a thick voice, addled with sleep. Yang put a hand up to her face, blocking the kitchen light that Weiss had turned on while she’d hunted around for a glass. “Hey, Weiss. Can’t sleep?” As her lilac eyes slowly adjusted to the light, Yang relaxed a little, leaning against the counter next to her.

“No,” Weiss admitted, taking a sip of water. “Whitley seems to be at least conceptually on board, but… he mentioned my mother.”

“Oh,” Yang said quietly. “I… I don’t think I’ve ever really heard you talk about your mom.” She shrugged. “But, growing up with Ruby… well, I just assume everyone has mommy issues like we do.”

Weiss laughed. “Yes, well, isn’t Blake lucky?”

“In a sense,” Yang chuckled. “So… did your mom die, too?”

“Not literally, but… figuratively? I think she may have,” Weiss said, staring at the ground. “The only times I’ve seen her without a bottle in her hand since I was ten were when I knew she was on her way to the wine cellar.”

“Yikes,” Yang said. She softened a little. “I’m… sorry to hear that.”

Weiss shrugged. “Yes, well, shockingly, the marriage that my father made almost entirely for his corporate gain and for the sake of producing ‘heirs’ turned out to be quite the loveless one.”

“I… I can’t imagine,” Yang said with a shrug. “My mom didn’t stay with Dad very long, but… I know she loved him.”

“You and Ruby had… different moms, right?” Weiss asked, timid.

“Yeah,” Yang said. “But you’re not getting any more of that out of me this evening.”

“I won’t press,” Weiss assured readily. “It’s been… quite a day, already.”

“Yeah,” Yang said with a shrug. “Or, I guess it’s _technically_ tomorrow now, but…”

“Ugh, already?” Weiss asked. “I should get back to bed - I hope I didn’t wake Ruby…”

“I’m almost certain that you didn’t,” Yang laughed. “I shared a room with her growing up, and I could basically do anything I wanted once she was out. Ruby could sleep through an earthquake.”

Weiss giggled. “Well, thank goodness that she’s my roommate, then - I’ve been told that I snore.”

Yang let out an overdramatic gasp. “How unladylike!”

“Don’t make me pour this on you,” Weiss said, threatening to tip her glass. Yang held up her hands innocently.

“Hey, hey, I don’t wanna change before I get back to bed,” she said. 

Weiss just hummed, victorious, returning her glass to a neutral position.

“So, hey, while I’ve got you here…” Yang began. Weiss turned to meet her eyes, taking a sip. Yang flicked her head over to the pullout couch where Ruby still slept, just barely out of the reach of the kitchen light.

“When are you planning on telling my sister that you’re in love with her?”

Weiss nearly spat out her drink.

“I - I - I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Yang gave her a long-suffering stare. “Weiss. She kissed the crown of your head today while you two were hugging, and that made your tail start wagging furiously. I have eyes.”

Weiss sighed.

“Fine. Fine, Yang. You were right during the very first week of school - I didn’t know it then, but I am madly, hopelessly, head-over-heels in love with Ruby Rose. Happy now?”

“I _did_ say I was always right,” Yang said. “But I won’t be _happy_ until you actually tell Ruby yourself.”

“I can’t just _tell her!”_ Weiss said, throwing her arms up in the air. “What the hell am I supposed to do - just walk up to her one day while she’s drawing and tell her that I can’t stop thinking about her and I want her arms around me for the rest of my natural-born life and that I want her lips all over my-”

“Whoa,” Yang said. “I’m gonna stop you there. That’s my _sister_ you’re talking about - I’m glad that you love her, I want you two to be happy together, but like… spare me the details?”

“Right,” Weiss said, settling down. “Sorry.”

“Weiss,” Yang said with a sigh, “What’s stopping you from telling Ruby? If you’re afraid that she won’t feel the same, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that she will.”

“Blake told me as much two weeks ago, remember?” Weiss said. “I just… it’s _Ruby._ She’s so kind and so loving and so _perfect_ \- if I just go up to her and tell her I’m in love with her, then…”

“Then she’ll say, ‘By the moon, finally! Now my poor older sister can just sleep peacefully and finally go on the double date that Blake has been looking forward to all week!’” Yang said.

“I don’t think she’d say _precisely_ that,” Weiss said.

“Probably not,” Yang chuckled. “But what is it? Looking for the right moment?”

“Yes,” Weiss admitted. Softer, she added, “And the courage.” She shook her head. “I just - Ruby has done _so_ much for me. She always knows the perfect thing to say, the perfect way to hold me, and she’s said that she would _literally_ die for me. More than once!” She swirled the water in her glass a little, contemplative. “It just… it has to be perfect. She _deserves_ for it to be perfect.”

“She does,” Yang readily admitted. “I’m a pretty spectacular girlfriend and everything, but… Ruby has more love in her heart than anyone that I’ve met in my entire life.” She shrugged. “But Weiss… have you considered that for Ruby, the moment _will_ be perfect, because she’ll be spending it with you?”

“What do you mean?” Weiss asked. Yang shrugged.

“I never technically asked Blake to move in with me. I would have loved to do a big romantic moment, where I got her a small jewelry box and she found my spare key inside. But she _really_ needed a place to stay, my apartment was empty, so she stayed for a little while, and it ended up becoming permanent." Yang sighed. "As much as Blake and I are happy together now - and _trust_ me, we are... the relationship that I have with her will always, on some level, be inextricably tied to her relationship with Adam, and how he basically ended up forcing us together. That made us miss a fair amount of relationship milestones." She looked down at Weiss. "Things are never gonna be perfect. If you spend all of your time waiting for the exact right moment, you'll just give up more and more time that you could be spending with her. At some point... you just have to take the leap."

Weiss knew this was supposed to be comforting, but it was also terrifying. 

“I… I had an idea, you know,” Weiss said. “I had a gift that I was going to give to her.”

“Oh?” Yang asked. “I’ll warn you, Ruby’s not really into buying stuff.”

“I know that,” Weiss said dismissively. “I’m _madly_ in love with her, remember?”

“Fair point,” Yang said. “So what’s your idea?”

Weiss told her. Once she finished describing it, Yang’s eyebrows had vanished into her bangs. 

“Okay, so how close are you to finishing it?”

“Probably just one more visit to the library,” Weiss said. “But the problem is that Ruby will want to go _with_ me, now, and she’ll probably ask _why,_ and…”

“Then bring Blake,” Yang said with a shrug. “She loves the library. Have you _seen_ all of our books?”

Weiss blinked in surprise. She’d been privately agonizing over this ever since this morning, and had never contemplated that solution.

“That’s… that’s an incredible idea,” she said. Her shoulders hunched together a little bit. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

“Weiss, if you gave my sister a pile of dirt, she would still love it,” Yang said with a laugh. Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t actually try that.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Weiss said, her voice dripping with mock irritation.

“Good,” Yang laughed. “But… from what you described to me… I think you might just have your perfect moment after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think down below!
> 
> -Red


	19. Symphony

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I know - for my standards, I *really* took my time with this one. It's also a lot shorter than you all are likely used to, but I think you'll understand why once you see it. Regardless, I very much hope you enjoy.
> 
> -Red

“Hey, Weiss! How’d it go?”

Blake was curled up in a somewhat cushioned chair on the second floor of the Beacon College library with a book in her hands. She’d been there for around three hours, and had gotten around a quarter of the way into her novel while Weiss had gone off to work on her project. Weiss now stood before her, rather nervously, with her backpack over her shoulder and an empty water bottle in her hands. She sighed.

“I… I think it’s done. I think it’s ready.”

“Congrats!” Blake said, putting the dust cover in her book, to keep her page. When Weiss didn’t acknowledge the praise at all, she frowned a little. “What’s the matter?”

“I just… I don’t know. I’m a good singer and everything, I guess, but I don’t really do audio mixing, and I’m a little worried about the quality of the MIDI files that I found, and…”

“Weiss.” Blake said. She stood, putting a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “Ruby’s going to love it. I promise.”

“I just… I really want it to be perfect.”

“I know,” Blake said, almost matronly as she pulled Weiss along on their way out of the library. “Oh, and Yang told me something - you’ve got it on your laptop, right?”

“Yes,” Weiss said, confused.

“Well, Ruby’s stereo can play music from devices with an AUX jack, so she figured it’d sound better that way.”

“That’s a great idea!” She frowned. “Did she tell you how to get Ruby’s stereo to do that?”

“No, but I guarantee you that Ruby knows.”

Weiss sighed. “I… I was hoping to have it set up already before I told her…”

“Weiss,” Blake said indulgently. “If Ruby sees you messing around with her stereo, creepily not saying anything, I’m  _ pretty _ sure that that would weird her out more than you asking for her help.”

“That’s…” Weiss sighed. “That’s a fair point.” Blake rubbed her shoulder.

“She’s gonna love it. You know she is.”

“I’m… choosing to be cautiously optimistic, and nothing more.”

“You really can’t help but stress about this, huh?”

“Nope! I most assuredly cannot.”

Blake just shook her head with a little laugh. 

“Well, hey. Let Yang and me know how it goes, and if she ends up hating it and doesn’t want to live with you anymore, you can sleep on our couch.”

Weiss stopped, sternly crossing her arms. 

“That wasn’t funny.”

“It was a little bit,” Blake said with a laugh. More seriously, she added, “Weiss. Ruby is practically in love with you. Already. She has some… hang-ups... about feeling predatory, but -”

“Wait! How did you know that?”

Blake sighed. “Because I talked to her about it when you were getting ready to change into your wolf for the first time. And Yang talked to her about it. And she texts us both about it. All the time.”

“R-really?”

“Yes, Weiss, really. I swear, you two are so frustratingly useless that Yang  _ actually _ suggested that we duct-tape you together and throw you in a dark closet until you both confess your feelings.”

“She must have been joking.”

“Not nearly as much as you’d think,” Blake threatened. “Look, I think it’s really sweet that you’re doing all of this for Ruby. I actually  _ do _ think it’s a lovely, romantic idea, and it’s probably going to set a good precedent for putting effort into a relationship where you guys are roommates and you see each other all the time.”

“I hope so,” Weiss said, worried.

“And  _ I _ know so,” Blake replied. “Just… when you get home, tell her you have something to show her, ask her to set up her stereo to work with your computer, and  _ try _ not to stress so much about this that you break out in hives?”

“I can promise the first two,” Weiss said. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, which Blake took as a good sign.

“I’ll take it,” she laughed. Already, they’d made it to Weiss and Ruby’s dorm building - it was still light out, but the edges of dusk had begun to creep towards the horizon. Blake had accompanied her in case the final steps of her project had dragged on past nightfall.

They walked into the lobby together.

“Good luck,” Blake said. “We’re rooting for you.”

Without saying a word, Weiss took two steps forward and nearly crushed Blake into a hug. She laughed for a moment, before reciprocating.

“I just… thank you, Blake. For everything - for helping me change, for letting me and Ruby stay with you this weekend, for…”

“Constantly reassuring you that this is going to work out just fine?” Blake suggested.

“Yes, that,” Weiss said dryly. More sincerely, she added, “It really means a lot to me.”

“I know,” Blake said, squeezing her a little tighter. She let Weiss go, saying, “Go get her.”

Weiss nodded, pulling out her card to the proctor, who had been awkwardly pretending not to listen to the whole thing.

“Oh, and Weiss?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell Ruby that I told you about our conversations.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Good.” She smiled, despite herself. “Good luck!”

With a nervous, happy wave, Weiss practically ran in the direction of the elevators.

  
  


* * *

“Oh, hey!” Ruby said, pulling her headphones down to her neck. For once, she seemed to be working on a traditional ink-and-paper drawing. Weiss knew those were her favorite, so hopefully she was in a good mood. “How’d studying go?”

“Fine,” Weiss said. “Er, very well, actually. Blake was very sweet to walk me over.”

“Yeah, sorry I couldn’t come - I can’t really do this in the library because they’d probably think I’d make a mess,” Ruby said. She looked at her right palm, now covered in ink, and gave a sheepish grin. “And I guess they’d be right.”

“It’s okay!” Weiss said, too quickly. 

“Okay,” Ruby said. She raised an eyebrow, as Weiss was still standing in the direct center of their room, motionless. She hadn’t even put her backpack down. “Are…  _ you _ okay?”

“Yes!” Weiss said. “Er… I actually have something to show you.”

“Oh, what’s up?” Ruby said, now turning in her chair instead of just looking over her shoulder.

“I, um… I need your help, first,” Weiss admitted.

“Okay…” Ruby said slowly. “With what?”

“Can you set up your stereo to play music from my computer?”

“O-oh, uh, sure…” Ruby said. “Do you have a song to show me? I’d, uh, rather listen in a bit, once I finish up this piece - I’ve really got a specific mood going, so…”

“I made it,” Weiss blurted. “I made the song.” She blinked, clarifying. “Er, well, I didn’t  _ write _ it - I just recorded a version of it, and…” she put her face in her hands. “Oh, I’m doing this absolutely  _ terribly, _ aren’t I?”

Ruby rose from her chair at that, concerned. “Weiss, what is it? Is something wrong?”

“No! No, I just…” she sighed. “Once you set up your stereo, I promise I’ll explain.”

“Okay,” Ruby said, clearly still suspicious. She looked down at her hands. “I, uh… I’m still an ink monster, so… here - see the square buttons, on the right side of the front panel?”

Weiss knelt before the stereo. “Yes.”

“It’s on the one that says ‘Tape’ - swap it to the one that says ‘AUX,’ and you should be good to go.” Weiss briefly hunted for the button, then pushed it. 

“Where do I plug my computer in?”

“It’s a long blue cable,” Ruby said, pointing. Weiss nodded, and unzipped her bag, gently placing her laptop on top of the silver stereo. She looked over her shoulder to find Ruby watching her.

“Don’t  _ look!” _ Weiss demanded. “It’s a  _ surprise!” _

“Oh,” Ruby laughed, and suddenly all of her roommate’s mannerisms made sense. “Sorry - I’ll turn around.”

Weiss was motionless until she was certain that Ruby couldn’t see. Then, she rooted around for the aforementioned blue cable, and connected it to her computer’s headphone jack. 

“Power button is on the far left,” Ruby advised, still not turning around. “You’re probably gonna wanna max out the volume on your computer. Tapes are super loud, so bring up the master volume a bit too.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, doing each of those things in order. Briefly, Ruby heard about three seconds of “Goodbye Stranger” by Supertramp (and she internally grinned, knowing that Weiss had discovered the song through her) before Weiss became satisfied with the volume. She heard a bit of clicking on the laptop, and then Weiss let out a very nervous sigh.

“Okay, Ruby. Turn around.”

She pressed the ‘play’ button on her computer.

Four light, subtle piano chords rang out, one after the other. Then a short, agile trill of a melody, at a much faster tempo, followed suit. Ruby turned around to find Weiss standing before her, and though she did not speak, her voice echoed throughout their tiny room. 

_ I’ve been hearing symphonies _

_ Before all I heard was silence _

_ A rhapsody for you and me _

_ And every melody is timeless _

“What song is this?” Ruby asked.

“It’s called ‘Symphony,’” Weiss said slowly. “It’s my favorite love song.”

_ Life was stringing me along _

_ Then you came and you cut me loose _

_ Was solo singing on my own _

_ Now I can’t find the key without you _

_ “Love _ song?” Ruby breathed. “Weiss, you - you  _ made _ this? For me?”

“I did,” Weiss said with a nervous smile. 

_ And now your song is on repeat _

_ And I’m dancin’ on to your heartbeat _

_ And when you’re gone, I feel incomplete _

_ So if you want the truth… _

“Weiss, I - does this mean that you -”

Weiss held up a finger, silencing her. She pointed to the speakers behind her. When the chorus came, her voice suddenly split into a gorgeous three-part harmony.

_ I just wanna be part of your symphony _

_ Will you hold me tight and not let go? _

_ Symphony _

_ Like a love song on the radio _

_ Will you hold me tight and not let go? _

  
  
  


“Yes.” She said. “I just... I love hugging you, and snuggling with you, and leaning against you and sitting with you - and you're so kind and patient and caring with me, and you've never made me feel uncomfortable or pressured to do anything, and I just - every time your hand brushes against mine I feel like I'm going to go  _ crazy _ with how much I want to grab it and just pull you closer and kiss that frustratingly perfect smile or yours and -"

"Weiss." Ruby said. She was smiling.

"There! There it is! That’s the  _ exact _ smile I’m talking about!"

“Weiss.” Ruby said again.

“Y-Yes?”

Ruby cupped her cheek. Her hand was  _ so _ soft. It gently slid down her face, and Ruby tenderly grasped Weiss' chin between her thumb and forefinger, tilting her head up just slightly. Weiss didn’t even notice that Ruby’s other arm was around her waist until it pulled her in tighter. Ruby smiled, and suddenly those gorgeous silver eyes were staring into her own.

"Can I kiss you?"

Weiss’ shoulders fell with relief, and she took in a shuddering breath.

_ "Please." _

  
  


_ I’m sorry if it’s all too much _

_ Every day you’re here I’m healing _

_ And I was running out of luck _

_ I never thought I’d find this feeling _

  
  


Ruby pulled away, just slightly, their lips only nanometers apart.

“I’m getting ink on your face,” Ruby said with a laugh.

“I don’t care,” Weiss replied, kissing her again.

The song continued, with a second instance of Weiss adding small vocalizations and stylistic flair in the background to complement the melody.

  
  


_ Cause I’ve been hearing symphonies _

_ Before all I heard was silence _

_ A rhapsody for you and me _

_ And every melody is timeless _

  
  


“I… I mean, I suppose the answer is obvious,” Weiss mused, practically speaking into Ruby’s mouth. She pulled away to meet her eye, suddenly just as nervous as she was before. “But… do you feel the same way?”

_ “Yes!” _ Ruby shouted instantly, pulling Weiss into a tight, desperate hug. Ruby  _ almost _ covered the back of Weiss’ head, but she figured that she shouldn’t push her inky hands that far. “I’ve felt this way for  _ so long  _ \- I honestly think I fell in love with you the third week after we met.”

“It was the first week, for me,” Weiss laughed.

“Really?” Ruby said, her voice breathy with the sheer euphoria and joy that she was feeling. “I - you feel that much? I - I didn’t wanna -”

Weiss put a finger to Ruby’s lips.

“The answer’s coming at the end of the song. Just shut up and kiss me.”

How could Ruby argue with that?

_ And now your song is on repeat _

_ And I’m dancin’ on to your heartbeat _

_ And when you’re gone, I feel incomplete _

_ So if you want the truth… _

Weiss buried her fingers in Ruby’s hair. Ruby grabbed her by the thighs, pulling her off the ground into her embrace. Weiss wrapped her legs around Ruby’s torso, kissing her even further.

_ I just wanna be part of your symphony _

_ Will you hold me tight and not let go? _

_ Symphony _

_ Like a love song on the radio _

_ Will you hold me tight and not let go? _

The song reached a bridge, and Weiss had apparently taken the opportunity to show off her ability to vocalize. It was perfectly light and breathless, excited and yet so precise - it almost felt like Weiss was simply willing the sound into being, to perfectly compliment their emotional state.

“How did you make this?”

“I recorded it all in the rehearsal rooms in the library. I’ve been working on it for the past two weeks.”

“So this… this is  _ all _ you?”

“The background instrumentals are a MIDI file,” Weiss admitted. “But I learned how to mix recordings of my voice just for this.”

_ “Just _ for this?” Ruby asked, astounded. Weiss kissed her again.

“Well, I’m sure that I can do something like this again, now - I was thinking of doing your favorite cassette…”

The song continued, and the pair just kept holding one another, reveling in their closeness. Ruby’s arms were impossibly solid as they held Weiss aloft, supporting her as they kissed. Weiss put her feet back down, leaning up towards Ruby. She let her arms rest on her shoulders, her wrists elegantly crossed behind Ruby’s head.

Kissing Ruby Rose was like tasting the sunrise. It was like floating on a cloud, it was like sitting on a rainbow, it was like howling at the moon. 

Kissing Ruby Rose was absolutely everything that Weiss could have ever dreamed.

At last, the song began to fade, and Weiss pulled away ever so slightly, as the beautiful symphony of vocals, strings, piano, and percussion began to die out, letting the elegance and grace of their performance just hang in the air for a moment. Weiss’ recorded voice, now almost totally alone, without harmony, backing, or pretense, made one last, sincere plea. 

_ Will you hold me tight and not let go? _

The simple, quick melody from the beginning danced along, all by itself, hanging brilliantly in the ambiance.

“Weiss, I -”

Weiss held up a finger, once again requesting silence. Her voice, still recorded but no longer singing, soft, sincere, and wanting, merely whispered.

_ “I love you, Ruby Rose.” _

Weiss smiled. She couldn’t have said it better herself.

“I think you have your answer,” she said with a wink.

Ruby gasped, seizing Weiss by both of her cheeks, as if she couldn’t bear to waste another instant. Her lips fell into Weiss’ once more, desperate, needy, and wanting. She barely managed to restrain herself, as for the tiniest moment, she pulled only nanometers away to reply.

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIf9GvWaxQQ
> 
> Will you hold me tight and not let go?
> 
> -Red


	20. Cutting Hair, Cutting Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all SO much for the response to the previous chapter! I'm so glad that it seemed to be just about everything that everyone was hoping for. I read all the comments, and I'm just so, so grateful for each and every one.  
> But hey, enough of my overwhelming gratitude - here's the next chapter!
> 
> -Red

Weiss came to consciousness slowly, her eyes slowly fluttering open in the dark. She was wrapped up in a lovely, encompassing warmth. She stretched a little, but was careful not to disturb her slumbering roommate.

_ Girlfriend, _ Weiss reminded herself giddily.  _ She’s not just my roommate - she’s my girlfriend! _

They’d talked it over last night, once they’d settled down from the initial excitement of their confessions. Ruby had washed her hands, Weiss washed her face (which, she’d discovered, was nearly  _ covered _ with ink by the time they were finished) and they’d sat down on Ruby’s bed, talking about what this change meant for the two of them.

“Girlfriend” was the word they’d decided on, despite having already taken the step of admitting full-blown romantic love for one another. They came to the agreement rather quickly, and were both elated about it - which soon escalated back to more kissing, then dinner, then kissing again, changing for bed, kissing some more…

And, while they hadn’t done the deed normally associated with waking up together in the same bed, Weiss was perfectly all right with that. She  _ did _ love Ruby, no question about it, and that love was reciprocated wholeheartedly, but the pair had seemed to come to the mutual understanding to take things rather slowly. The farthest step that they’d really taken yesterday evening was making out  _ on _ Ruby’s bed, with the girl herself straddling Weiss’ hips. 

Weiss had barely remembered to text about the success of her confession to Blake and Yang, and hadn’t yet checked for their replies. Carefully, she lifted herself up from her place on Ruby’s chest and reached for her scroll.

The light of the screen blinded her for a brief moment, but she soon learned that it was only 7:30 in the morning. She opened her messaging app and found two replies to her text from the previous evening. 

  
  


Blake Belladonna & Yang Xiao Long

9:30 PM

_ She said yes! _

_ Ruby wants to be my girlfriend! _

_  
_ _ Blake: Weiss, that’s wonderful! We’re so happy for you! _

_ Yang: CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!! _

Yang’s message was also delivered with an animated explosion of confetti, which gave Weiss a little chuckle. She was glad that she had her scroll muted, because knowing Yang, the effect likely came with sound as well, and she didn’t want to wake Ruby. Weiss just sent back a heart emote before flicking over to check her calendar.

She knew that Ruby had no classes on Wednesdays, and Weiss had already quietly chosen to use the “extra considerations” that her professors had been told to give her as an excuse to skip one of her less engaging courses for the time being - and it was her only one that day. However, she knew that they had agreed to get haircuts at  _ some _ point, so she wanted to double-check the time of the appointment.

Sure enough, her calendar had only one engagement listed besides her class - at 2 PM, there was a small chunk of space dedicated to an event that she’d called  _ “Haircuts w/ Blake&Yang.” _ Weiss blinked for a moment, realizing something - Ruby had agreed to attend as well, but when she’d taken down the appointment time, Weiss hadn’t actually mentioned Ruby in the event description. She stared at the screen, wondering. She never forgot such things.

Weiss thought back to when they’d all talked logistics about the appointment, and suddenly realized that she hadn’t listed Ruby’s name in the description because she hadn’t seen it as worthy of noting specifically. She just knew that Ruby was coming,  _ so _ automatically, that there was no need to list her. She was apparently so accustomed to Ruby’s company nearly everywhere she travelled lately that it was already implied. 

Weiss blinked, looking over to her grocery shopping list. Sure enough, the section that she had normally reserved for Ruby’s things (she almost never kept track of whether she’d run out of something, so Weiss did it for her to prevent a second trip) was almost two weeks out of date. Instead, she merely listed  _ all _ of their grocery list items, even the ones that she personally didn’t ever use, in one section. She didn’t even remember when she started doing it.

Weiss returned to her messaging application, now somewhat bewildered. She checked back at the people that she’d messaged recently - most recent was the group chat she’d made with Blake and Yang, then individual messages with Blake, then with Yang, then Whitley, then Klein… below that was Robyn’s messages, which only included Robyn sending Weiss her number and Weiss replying with an apology after the incident with Atlas PD. Even farther back was Coco, from when she’d given Weiss her number and sent her the phrase for her alarm spell, then Winter’s direct messages, the group chat with Yang, Blake,  _ and _ Ruby for their project…

And  _ all _ the way below all of those, a number that she hadn’t sent a text message to in nearly a week and a half, was her direct messages with Ruby.

Well, why bother sending Ruby a text when she was always right there?

Carefully, Weiss began to set her scroll back down, but stopped right before it touched the desk. Quickly, she brought it back up to her face, and edited Ruby’s contact name from “Ruby Rose (Roommate)” to just “Ruby.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Weiss added a heart emote.

Satisfied, she returned her scroll to Ruby’s desk, laying it facedown. With everything they’d done last night, she hadn’t charged it. Its battery was nearly gone, but Weiss decided that that was a problem for later in the day. 

Weiss carefully turned back over, once again bringing her head to rest in the crook of Ruby’s shoulder. She pulled the blanket back over them, and once she was settled in, Ruby let out a sleepy murmur, wrapping her arm around Weiss’ middle once more. Weiss smiled, nuzzling her face into Ruby’s warm, tender embrace. She knew that they had things to do eventually, but for now…

They had plenty of time.

* * *

“Hey, guys!” Yang called out, waving to them with one hand, holding Blake’s with the other. “You made it!”  
“Sorry if we’re a bit late,” Ruby said, blushing because Yang immediately smiled at the fact that Ruby and Weiss were now _also_ holding hands.

“Well, I  _ did _ tell you that it was a twenty-minute walk,” Weiss admonished.

“Aww, c’mon, those estimates are usually like five minutes too long!” Ruby said.

“Not with Vale’s foot traffic,” Blake said with a smile.

“It’s cool - they said they can take us in about ten minutes,” Yang said. 

“Yang, are you sure about the…” Weiss lowered her voice. “The  _ quality _ of this place?”

“Trust me, Ice Queen,” Yang said with a smirk. “This is the best  _ and _ gayest salon in town.” Weiss just rolled her eyes at Yang’s choice of descriptor.

The four of them walked into a building whose decorations were… odd, to say the least. A black and white checkered floor whose coloration was reminiscent of the stereotypical pattern for a kitchen, one wall painted purple and another painted yellow, a black leather couch that was noticeably sagging in the middle by the door, a dog bed on the windowsill behind said couch, an honest-to-goodness  _ chandelier _ in the far corner, hanging over a glass table…

“Told you it’s super gay,” Yang said with a wink. She went to tell the person at the front desk about Weiss and Ruby’s arrival, because she’d made the appointments.

Weiss immediately looked to Blake, expecting her to provide them with  _ actual _ reasoning.

“I know, trust me,” Blake laughed. “But she took me here in, like, March, because I had a bunch of split ends, and I promise - these people  _ really _ know their stuff.”

Weiss and Ruby shared a look, but Ruby’s shrug was reassuring enough that Weiss figured she might as well try it.

“Two minutes,” Blake said, flopping down on the black couch. There was  _ barely _ enough room for all of them, and Weiss tried to sit while making as little contact with the actual surface of it as she could. 

“So, what’re you two doing?” Blake asked. She ran a hand through her back-length hair. “I’m gonna go for that short bob I was talking about earlier.”

“I think I wanna go for, like… an actual  _ style,” _ Ruby said. “I always just got it as short as the salon at home would do for a girl, but… I think I wanna actually do  _ something _ with it, y’know?”

“Like what?” Weiss asked, intrigued. This was the first she’d heard of it - she’d previously assumed that Ruby was just getting a trim. 

“Uh, I’m not exactly sure it has a  _ name _ or anything,” she admitted. She pulled out her scroll, holding up a picture that she’d evidently prepared for the occasion. “But I was hoping for something like this.”

Weiss looked at the pink-haired girl in the image - she’d been expecting a photo, but instead it was a drawing of someone. Maybe a character in a TV show? She had even shorter hair than Ruby’s, but there was much more volume to it - instead of being flat on her head, it was spiked up considerably, and one section of her bangs (which were parted to the girl’s right side) just  _ barely _ hung between her eyes, without obscuring her vision at all.

Weiss made a little “ooh” of excitement upon seeing it, but Yang rolled her eyes.

“Of  _ course _ it’s an anime character,” she said. Ruby just stuck out her tongue.

“How about you, Weiss?” Blake asked.

“Oh, I want to lose at  _ least _ a foot,” she said instantly, causing all of their eyes to widen. Weiss was scared for a moment - normally, extreme reactions to her haircut ideas came from her mother, her father, or her stylist in Atlas (who was paid by her father). Her parents had always  _ insisted _ on having her grow it out, saying that it was “just  _ so _ beautiful” when it was that long. Once, when she was maybe seven years old, it had grown to the point where it irritated her (and she didn’t  _ quite _ have the dexterity to braid it or anything by herself), so she’d cut it late at night in her room, with scissors. Her mother, nearly  _ heartbroken, _ had shouted “What have you done to my hair?”

Weiss shuddered at the memory, forcing it away.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang, though… they were definitely shocked, but they were  _ excited.  _ Their faces weren’t angry, they were joyful - they were  _ proud. _

“Weiss!” Ruby gasped. “Are we all gonna get to see your first gay haircut?!?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ruby,” Weiss teased. “I’ve known I was a lesbian for a few years now - my haircut has  _ always _ been a gay haircut.”

“Oh, you know what I mean!” She protested, getting a laugh out of Blake and Yang.

“How short were you thinking?” Blake asked, genuinely curious.

“Not quite as much as you or Ruby,” she admitted. “I was thinking… maybe shoulder-length? Just enough so that I can easily  _ make _ a ponytail, but I still don’t  _ need _ one all the time, so I can…” she trailed off, realizing she couldn’t say it in public.

The three of them just nodded, knowing that she was referring to letting her ears out. 

“I think it’s gonna look great!” Ruby said cheerfully.

“Me too,” Yang said with a smile. Her grin then softened a little, more sympathetic. “I honestly couldn’t imagine how you were surviving, dealing with  _ that _ much hair all the time - and that’s coming from  _ me.” _

“Mountains and mountains of conditioner,” Weiss replied. 

“Oh, so  _ that’s _ what those five white bottles in the bathroom cabinet are,” Ruby said.

Blake and Yang just looked at her, astonished.

“What?” Weiss asked. “It makes more sense to buy it in bulk.”

“Jeez,” Blake said. “And  _ I _ was sick of dealing with  _ my _ hair.”

“Yes,” Weiss laughed. “I… well, the only reason I kept it this long was because my parents insisted, but now…” She shrugged. “Their opinion on the matter is no longer relevant.”

“Hell yeah!” Yang shouted. “Rebellion!”

She immediately sought a fist bump with Ruby, which had so much windup that each of them nearly elbowed her respective girlfriend in the ribs.

“I didn’t see it like that, at first,” Weiss said with a smile. “Now, though… perhaps I’ll take a picture of all the hair on the ground once it’s cut…” The smile became a smirk. “And send it to my father.”

_ That _ idea got a round of cheers from the whole couch, which was interrupted by a cough from the woman at the front desk, now ready for them.

“Uh, let’s see,” she said, checking her chart. “‘Just a trim’ for Yang…’”

“That’s me!” The blonde replied, hopping up. The woman nodded, showing her to an empty chair with a friendly-looking man standing behind it. He offered a little smile as he turned it to face her.

“A major cut for Blake…” 

Blake waved, and was shown to a chair elsewhere in the room, around a corner from Yang.

“Cut and color for Ruby…” 

Ruby hopped up with an excited nod, and was shown to the glass table in the far corner of the room, where dyeing apparently took place.

“...And a cut for Weiss?”

Weiss gave her a smile, and was directed to the chair nearest to the door. She sat down gracefully, undoing her ponytail and flipping her hair out, making sure that all of it hung off the back of the chair. 

“She’ll be right with you,” the woman said, giving Weiss a friendly nod before returning to her desk, greeting a new customer.

“Hello,” said a voice with a thick Mistral accent. Weiss turned over her shoulder to see a relatively wiry woman with a bleach-blond fauxhawk. Each of the colors of the rainbow were dyed into the top section, though they’d begun to fade somewhat. She wore a white flannel t-shirt, blue jeans, and a mens’ watch. Weiss looked at the mirror before her, and noticed that it had a rainbow flag magnet in the top-right corner.

Apparently, Yang had not been exaggerating when she said that this was “the gayest salon in town.”

“What are we going for today?” The woman asked. Her tone was a little lower and darker than the average woman’s, but she had a very kind smile. She took in Weiss’ current situation. “This is… a  _ lot _ of hair, Darling.” She pronounced the “g” in the word almost like a “k.”

“And I’m finally getting rid of most of it,” Weiss said proudly. “How’s around... shoulder-length?”

“Shoulders?” The woman asked in the mirror, confirming. Weiss nodded, and received a nod in return. “Okay - we can do shoulders. I’ll cut it to about…” she gently put a hand against Weiss’ back, indicating an approximate length, “... there, and if you want more, we take off more.”

Weiss just gave her an excited nod, getting her to laugh.

“Your head is gonna be  _ so _ much lighter,” she joked.

She made small talk with the woman as she worked - it actually took a significant amount of time for her to get the  _ massive _ volume of Weiss’ hair to be properly wet with her little spray bottle. However, she soon began cutting. The woman’s movements were very quick, but surprisingly quite gentle. 

“First time here?” The woman asked. 

“Yes,” Weiss replied. “I actually came with friends.”

“Ah, you know Yang?” She asked.

“Yes,” Weiss said, startled that Yang was on a first-name basis with the staff. “Is she a regular?”

“Oh, yes,” The woman said with a grin. “We  _ love _ Yang. Then she started bringing her girlfriend around - we all like  _ her, _ too.”

Weiss smiled. 

“How do you know Yang?” The woman asked. “School friend?”

“You could say that,” Weiss said, with a tiny blush on her cheeks. Weiss was normally quite hesitant to talk about her sexuality with strangers, but… this woman  _ literally _ had a rainbow flag in her hair - she probably wasn’t going to judge. “I… um… I’m actually dating her sister.”

“Oh!” The woman said, her eyes widening. She flicked her head over to the corner where Ruby was getting her hair dye changed around for her new style. “Red shirt girl over there?”

“Yes,” Weiss admitted, her blush increasing. “I, um… it’s a fairly recent development, in a sense. It took me… a while to build up the courage, but… we’ve liked each other for weeks.”

The woman just hummed at that, momentarily a bit more absorbed in her work. 

“Now, all this pressure,” she muttered. “Have to make it look good for Girlfriend…”

Weiss  _ hoped _ that her polite giggle would at least hide some of the burning crimson in her cheeks.

The woman chatted with Weiss while she continued - she was clearly using her second language, but that didn’t slow her down in the slightest. She asked Weiss about school, about Yang, about her hobbies, and even a little bit about Ruby - who, apparently, the woman chose to only refer to as “Girlfriend.” 

She actually noticed that the woman hadn’t asked a word about Weiss’ family, though if this salon was really as gay-friendly as it appeared to be, perhaps the employees had met enough people in situations similar to Weiss that they knew to avoid the topic. 

“Okay!” The woman declared, giving Weiss’ chair a spin. She held up a hand mirror at a practiced angle, giving Weiss a perfect view of the back of her head. “What do you think?”

Weiss hardly recognized her reflection as her own. The hair in the mirror actually had a visible end point, even though Weiss could only barely see below her shoulders. The feeling was wonderful - there was actually just the tiniest bit of skin on her neck that was visible now, thanks to the relatively low cut of her dress.

“I… wow…” Weiss said quietly. She looked up at the woman, silently asking to be turned back around, which she was. Weiss reached a hand out from underneath the black smock that she’d been given (it was now  _ covered _ with white hair, which she imagined was also true of the floor), and pulled one of the tough, spiral-shaped, corded hair ties that she normally used off of her wrist.

“Can I…” she asked, beginning to make a ponytail.

“Sure, Darling,” the woman said. She moved to put her hairdryer away.

Weiss just nodded, pulling her hair up. She gasped at how  _ easy _ it was - she’d put the hair tie in her mouth first to keep both hands free, as a reflex, but her hair was now actually so short that once she’d gathered it up, she could pull all of her loose hair through the tie in one go, no need to make a complicated affair out of the whole thing. 

She was done in less than fifteen seconds - Weiss hadn’t made a quicker ponytail since she was ten years old.

As an act of habit, she’d left the front section of her hair mostly out of the ponytail, instead merely tying up the back. The result was a cute, breezy look, showing off more of her her neck area than Weiss had expected while still letting her bangs frame her face. Interestingly, because the sections around the sides of her head were much shorter now, they weren’t quite long enough to reach the ponytail, still covering her ears. It was just so…  _ simple, _ and it felt so  _ good _ \- she almost looked like Winter, if Winter’s hair was much wavier and fluffier instead of being rigid and flat.

“You like it?” The woman asked, an almost  _ smug _ smile on her face, clearly indicating that she knew the answer. 

“I… I  _ love _ it,” Weiss replied. She met the woman’s eyes in the mirror. “I… thank you  _ so _ much - it looks amazing!”

“Of course, Darling,” the woman breezed. She gave Weiss a little wink. “Good luck with Girlfriend - I hope she likes it.”

Without another word, she artfully pulled the smock off of Weiss, not letting a single hair fall into her lap. Weiss stood, and saw that the stylist was now about to sweep up the frankly  _ absurd _ amount of excess hair on the floor into a sizeable dustpan.

“W-wait!” Weiss stuttered, causing the woman to stop. She quickly pulled her scroll out of her pocket, angling the camera down to the scene on the floor. “Sorry, I just… wanna send this to my sister…”

The stylist gave a soft “ah” of understanding, gracefully stepping out of the frame. 

“I bet she’ll be surprised,” the woman said with a laugh. 

“She’s gonna  _ freak,” _ Weiss said with a smile. She also let out a devious little chuckle. “And I can’t even  _ wait _ to see what my father’s going to say.”

The stylist just gave Weiss a knowing nod - apparently, she was far from the only teenager that the stylist had assisted with creating a hairstyle that their parents wouldn’t like. 

“Thank you so much, again,” Weiss said sincerely. She paused. “Umm… where do I pay?”

After being directed back to the front desk, Weiss paid for the haircut with her new card. After spending an evening on a call with her broker, discussing what stocks were the best candidates to sell, she’d made herself a modest savings account for everyday expenses. Yang was already done, though they were still waiting on Blake and Ruby. Weiss pulled some cash out of her wallet and left her stylist a generous tip.

“Well, look at you, Ice Queen,” Yang said approvingly. “That’s a good look!”

“You think so?” Weiss asked, shyly pushing a section of her new hair behind her ear. “My head feels so much  _ lighter _ now…”

Yang laughed. “Yeah - just  _ imagine _ how much shorter your showers are gonna be!”

They chuckled together, making small talk on the couch as they waited for their respective girlfriends. After a few minutes, Blake emerged, her raven hair now so short that it hardly threatened to graze her shoulders. The lights of the salon reflected brilliantly off of it, and the entire look had much more volume than Weiss had been expecting - perhaps Blake’s hair, like her own, was now much fluffier and wavier when it wasn’t naturally straightened out by its own weight.

Yang let out an audible gasp from beside her, at a complete loss for words.

“What do you think?” Blake asked, her cheeks getting rosy at Yang’s gaze.

“Blake, I…” the sentence died on Yang’s lips then and there. 

“Is it… bad?” Blake asked, shyly looking down.

“N-No! It’s good!  _ Great, _ even!” Yang almost shouted. The pair exchanged awkward glances, as though they suddenly hadn’t been dating for nearly a year.

“And Blake says that  _ I’m _ useless,” Weiss teased. She stood up next to Yang, giving Blake an easy smile. “Your hair is wonderful, Blake. I think this look really suits you.”

“Thanks, Weiss,” Blake replied, still a little nervous. “You look amazing, too - how much did they cut  _ off?” _

Smirking, Weiss showed her the picture.

  
  


“Ta-da!” A chipper voice declared. “What do you think?” The three girls on the couch looked up from their scrolls as Ruby finally appeared before them. Her hair was precisely as spiky and fluffy as the image that she’d shown them all, and the red dye around the tips was fresh, now much darker. She flipped over the little segment in the front that adamantly refused to join the rest of her sideswept bangs, keeping it out of her eyes. The look was  _ adorable, _ and so very, very Ruby. She met Weiss’ eyes, her own widening at how much hair was now gone from her girlfriend’s head. She gave Weiss a radiant smile, nearly racing up to her.

“Weiss! You look  _ amazing!” _

Weiss momentarily forgot how to breathe.

“I - I - yes, I - thank you, Ruby.” She paused, her words catching in her throat. “You look…  _ wonderful, _ as well.” The statement  _ really _ didn’t do her feelings justice, but she was so dumbstruck at her girlfriend’s beauty that it was all that her brain could conjure.

“Not so easy when it’s  _ your _ girlfriend, huh, Ice Queen?” Yang smirked. Blake immediately began to giggle.

“Oh, you be  _ quiet!” _

* * *

“Hey, Babe - what were you thinking for dinner?” Ruby asked, opening the kitchen cabinet.

Weiss gave her a look over her shoulder. 

“‘Babe?’”

Ruby stopped. “Not a fan?”

Weiss let out a little laugh. “Sorry, no.” Ruby nodded, not at all hurt by the declaration. Weiss stood up, giving her a shrug. “I’m afraid that that word has been forever ruined for me in the romantic sense by men at Schnee family charity events, who would call me that after trying the  _ sleaziest _ pickup lines I’ve ever heard.”

“Gross,” Ruby laughed, returning to the cabinet. 

“I still appreciate the attempt,” Weiss said affectionately, suddenly pressed up against Ruby’s back. She held Ruby’s hips, kissing her cheek from behind. Ruby let out a low, satisfied hum, and responded in an almost husky tone.

“I’d ask you for more of that... but you’re kinda pinching my tail.”

Weiss giggled, stepping back. “Sorry.”

“Guess we’re even,” Ruby laughed. “Here, wanna just do frozen pizza tonight?”

“Sounds good to me,” Weiss said. She’d been skeptical of the concept at first, but Ruby somehow knew a brand that was honestly quite good, despite being frozen. The extra toppings that she added, like fresh pepperoni and oregano from her father’s garden, probably helped quite a bit.

“Hmm, if ‘Babe’ isn’t your thing, which I assume extends to ‘Baby...’” Ruby mused. Weiss gave her a confirmatory nod as she preheated the oven. “Well, maybe I’m kinda stealing from Robyn, but… thoughts on ‘Snowflake?’”

Weiss mulled it over. “I… I’m not  _ opposed _ \- but only because it’s you. Tell Yang not to get any ideas.”

Ruby gave her a winning smile, causing Weiss to roll her eyes and blush.

“How about things like ‘Honey’ or ‘Darling?’”

Weiss shrugged. “It’s a little too ‘old married couple,’ don’t you think?”

“According to my sister, we  _ are  _ an old married couple already,” Ruby laughed, “But I see your point.”

“I remember trying ‘Sweetheart’ a while ago,” Weiss offered. 

“Hm. I don’t think I liked it then, but… maybe give it another shot,” Ruby said. “I... wasn’t exactly feeling very romantic back when you tried it.” Weiss nodded at that, not wanting to put any more of their focus on that tough conversation.

“Are there any, like… werewolf-specific things like that?” Weiss asked.

“Not really, I don’t think,” Ruby said. “I mean. Yang calls me stuff like ‘Furball’ or ‘Mutt’ when she’s annoyed with me in my wolf, but…”

“Not exactly romantic,” Weiss agreed. “Ugh, for a moment I just thought of what my  _ parents _ used to call each other, as if  _ that _ would be a good example.” She made a small retching sound.

“Do I even want to know?” Ruby asked, leaning back against the counter.

Weiss just raised a flirty eyebrow, coming over to her with an overdramatic element to every single aspect of her walk and posture. She threw her arms around Ruby’s neck with a ridiculously loud sigh.

“Oh, but Beloved, what  _ ever _ shall we do against the rogues who are trying to take over the company?” Weiss lamented, giving a performance that would have put a soap opera star to shame.

Ruby erupted to laughter. “Your parents did  _ not _ call each other ‘Beloved.’”

“They most certainly did,” Weiss replied. “It was like they were  _ trying _ to sound like a pair of dusty old aristocrats.”

“That’s… amazing,” Ruby just said, shaking her head. Neither of them made any effort to break their embrace, their faces less than a foot apart. Suddenly, Ruby’s eyes lit up at an idea, but she didn’t vocalize it immediately.

“Oh, just spit it out,” Weiss said with a huff.

“I, um…” Ruby blushed a little bit, cupping Weiss’ cheek. She pulled her in for a kiss, which was delightful, if only concerning for Weiss because it was apparently a necessary preface to the nickname she’d thought of. When their lips parted, Ruby’s look was smoldering.

Smoothly, she asked, “What’d you think of that, Princess?”  
Ruby had been expecting Weiss to erupt at her and call the name preposterous. Instead, Weiss just stood there frozen, her cheeks a bright pink.

_ “Oh,” _ Ruby said, chuckling at her unexpected success. “I didn’t realize that you were -”

Weiss held a finger up, stopping her instantly.

“If you call me that in front of  _ any _ other living soul on this planet, no one will ever find where you’re buried.”

Ruby’s face went blank at the harsh sincerity of the statement. Weiss then brought her back into a kiss, which it took Ruby around a full second to actually begin reciprocating.

“When we’re  _ alone, _ though…” Weiss whispered in her ear.

Ruby’s face went redder than her new hair.

However, before the pair could follow down  _ that _ line of conversation any further, there was a knock at their newly-installed door. The couple met each others’ eyes, and Weiss pulled away from Ruby, checking their peephole. Both of them instinctively hid their ears and tails away.

Ruby watched Weiss apprehension vanish as soon as she looked, and merely observing that emotional reaction in her girlfriend put her own fears at ease. 

“Good evening, Coco!” Weiss said, pulling the door open.

“Hey, Weiss,” she said with a smile. “I dig the hair.” She looked over at Ruby, noticing that she was at the stove. “Oh, I’m sorry - are we interrupting your dinner?”

“Nah, I just started cooking,” Ruby said, waving her inside. She looked up at Coco’s usage of the word ‘we’ - as she entered, she was followed by a much shorter brunette, with much longer hair.

“I wanted you guys to meet my girlfriend, Velvet,” Coco said. Velvet gave them a shy wave as she walked in. “I was talking to her about the whole… everything, that you guys went through the other day, and she had a really good question.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow and shut the door.

“Can we…” Ruby began, not sure how to ask if Velvet knew about their secrets. However, a quick whiff at the air (and remembering Coco’s little statement about the fact that she was dating a were) confirmed it for her, and Ruby let her ears and tail back out. Weiss soon followed, knowing that it was safe.

“Oh, that’s right, Coco said you guys were weres too,” Velvet muttered. A pair of ears emerged from her head - and emerged, and emerged…

Compared to Ruby and Weiss, Velvet’s ears were  _ shockingly _ tall - they ended up being around a foot and a half long by the time that she’d let them out properly. They stood straight up on her head in a very thin, oval shape.

“... oh,” Weiss said quietly. She blinked a little. “Sorry, I don’t mean to stare - I’m still getting used to all of the were stuff. I was Turned pretty recently, and I’ve only met a panther and three other wolves.” Velvet just gave her a reassuring smile, which Weiss nodded at. “So are you…”

“A were-bunny?” Ruby finished. She hadn’t met a were like Velvet either.

“Were _ hare, _ technically,” Velvet said with a shrug. “We’re bigger than rabbits are.”

“Velvet, you’ve never even met a wererabbit,” Coco said, flicking one of her ears playfully. Now that Velvet’s ears were out, the pair were actually around the same height.

“Well they can’t be  _ bigger _ than we are!” She huffed. “Normal rabbits are smaller than normal hares!”

Weiss and Ruby exchanged a look.

“Sorry,” Coco said. “I’d love to pretend that this is only a social visit, but…” she shrugged. “Tell ‘em your thing, Vel.”

Velvet nodded. “Weiss, I… first of all, I’m  _ so _ sorry to hear about your father’s actions.”

Weiss silently nodded - her coping mechanism was to completely divorce her emotions from the man, so she was only able to appreciate the gesture, not its contents.

“But, I wanted to ask… do you know how he found your room, and your building?”

Weiss paused. “Not for certain - I figured that he might have gotten a move-in email about the building, and Coco said that he went floor-by-floor - Ruby and I assumed he just looked for names on the doors.”

“That’s  _ possible,” _ Velvet admitted. “But when Coco told me the story, I… I wondered at how he knew you’d be home. It was Saturday night, right?”

Coco gave her a nod. 

“Well,” Velvet continued, “How did he correctly guess that a  _ college student _ would be home at around nine in the evening on a  _ Saturday?” _

“I know he came because it was the new moon, and he knew I wouldn’t be able to change,” Ruby said, her brows furrowed. “But even  _ if _ he knew that weres usually stay inside on new moons, he didn’t know that Weiss had been Turned yet…”

“He did  _ know  _ I was there _ , _ too,” Weiss added. She looked at Ruby. “Remember - you said I wasn’t home, and he said he knew you were lying?”

“Oh yeah…” Ruby said.

“That’s the conclusion  _ we _ made, too,” Velvet said with a nod. “So, Weiss - does your father pay for your scroll?”

“Probably not anymore,” Weiss said with a shrug. “But I guess I’m still on the plan for the month, because I haven’t had to start paying for it myself. Why?”

“Well,” Velvet hedged, “I think he might be… tracking it.”

Ruby and Weiss both froze completely.

“Shit…” Ruby said. 

“I, uh, also figure that there’s at least a chance that he tracked you guys to Blake and Yang’s apartment building, too,” Coco said. When both of their heads whipped towards her, she held up her hands placatingly. “Don’t worry, the alarm spell never went off or anything, but… some of the wards I set up around that building as a whole - little charms that give non-resident vampires a stern, mental ‘fuck off?’ They, uh… they were gone, by the day you guys came back here.”

“Which means?” Ruby asked.

“Which means they  _ worked,” _ Coco said. “They can last for around two weeks if they don’t end up doing anything, but every vamp that they push away makes them a little bit weaker.”

“Oh…” Weiss said quietly. “What do we do about this? I mean… I kind of need a scroll…”

“Don’t worry,” Coco said gently. She stopped. “Well - maybe worry a little - and definitely tell Blake and Yang.”

“On it,” Ruby said, whipping out her own scroll.

“But,” Coco said, “This is why I brought Velvet.”

Weiss eyes fell on the brunette werehare.

“I’m actually a Cybersecurity major,” she said, nervous. 

“Beacon has those?” Weiss asked.

“It has about ten,” Velvet said, rubbing the back of her neck. “The major just got introduced in the last year, and I actually had to transfer into it from Data Science because I was already at Beacon when they started letting people major in it, but…”

“Vel,” Coco said gently.

“Right!” Velvet said. “I, um… I’m pretty sure I know what protocol your father’s tracking software might be using. And I also think I know how to disable it.” Coco wordlessly pulled out a beefy-looking laptop from the bag she had slung over her shoulder, handing it over. 

“Mind if I borrow your scroll?”

* * *

A few minutes later, Velvet was sitting cross-legged on Weiss and Ruby’s dorm room floor, with Weiss’ scroll plugged into her laptop. Now that Weiss could see her from the side, she noticed that Velvet also had a tiny cotton tail, just barely poking out from her jeans. She tried not to stare, but it was objectively adorable - especially contrasted with the size of her ears.

“Okay,” Velvet said, opening up the application on her computer meant to sync with scrolls. It wasn’t a special program or anything - Weiss had the same one on her laptop. “No, I don’t want to copy all of this data to my computer, thank you,” Velvet muttered to herself, clicking away a prompt. Weiss quietly sat beside her, watching her work.

“Show me advanced settings,” she told the machine, clicking onto a tiny option in the general settings list that Weiss hadn’t seen before. She scrolled past a few descriptions of options before settling on one, entering it.

“‘Parental controls,’” she scoffed. “I get it for some cases, but don’t these stupid developers ever think about how many abusive parents they’re enabling?”

“When I turned sixteen, my mom installed this little thingy in the family car,” Coco said from her position against the wall of the bedroom. “It would ping her when I was driving too fast -  _ and _ it would tell her where I was.”

“Jeez, yeah, how could something like that  _ possibly _ be misused?” Weiss asked, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She was confident that her own father would most certainly use a device like that, if he’d even bothered to have Weiss learn to drive instead of being chauffeured everywhere.

“It’s such irresponsible design,” Velvet agreed. She was clicking around in the graphical menu, taking note of some of Weiss’ settings before returning to the advanced page that she’d been in previously.

“Sorry, I… I wasn’t expecting the thing that you’re doing to look like this,” Weiss admitted.

Velvet gave her a dry look, opening a web browser.

“Let me guess,” she snarked, typing in an address. The page quickly showed her a black screen with a green line along the bottom. Looking Weiss dead in the face, Velvet started spamming the buttons on her keyboard, causing the screen to instantly fill itself with rapidly-typed computer code. 

“Were you expecting something like that?”

“Y-yes,” Weiss admitted shyly. “What  _ is _ this?”

“Oh, it’s just a dumb site that some bored webdev must have made,” Velvet said. She hovered her cursor over the screen. “All of this is just random, garbage C++ code - it doesn’t do anything, I don’t think. It just allocates a bunch of memory and then deallocates it, assigning a bunch of random variables to a bunch of random other variables.”

“...oh,” Weiss said, her voice small.

“Movies don’t represent hacking very well,” Velvet said with a laugh, closing the browser. “Anyways, I think I’ve just about got it.”

“Really?” Weiss asked, hopeful.

“Yeah - it’s not too tough to do if you know what to look for,” Velvet said. “Fortunately for us, the people who designed your brand of scroll have just a  _ tiny _ bit more of a sense of responsibility than the average ‘Parental Controls’ developer. Because your scroll has your birthday listed as more than eighteen years ago, if I go rooting around for the right little menu…” she paused, clicking around for it, then presenting a username and password field to Weiss.

“You can disable your own device’s parental controls as an administrator, without the permission of another administrator on the family account.”

“Oh wow,” Weiss said, entering her information. “You learned this kind of thing in your major?”

“No,” Velvet laughed. “I half-remembered a social media post in one of the tech subcommunities I’m in, sending out a guide to kids on the internet who might have abusive parents.” She shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t have seen it if I  _ wasn’t _ a computer nerd, though, so kind of?”

“Well, either way - thank you, Velvet,” Weiss said, ready to take her scroll back.

“Hang on,” she said. “You just removed his lock on your advanced settings and stuff - I still have to actually disable the tracking part.”

“Oh,” Weiss said. Velvet delved into a few more submenus, then just clicked a little option, changing a slider to its ‘off’ position.

“And there we go!” She said. “Your scroll is no longer constantly sending your location to your father, but it still  _ has _ that information itself, so you can still use it for maps and things.”

“I appreciate it, sincerely,” Weiss said. “Um… can you show me how to block his number?”

“Oh, of course!” She said. “You hadn’t already?”

“Well, he called me on Saturday, but he’s been radio silent since then,” Weiss admitted. “I guess I didn’t think to do it before, but…”

“But?” Velvet asked.

“Well, I sent him a bit of a ‘fuck-you’ text today,” Weiss admitted, “And with that, plus preventing him from seeing my location, I’m not in the mood for an angry tirade.”

“Ohhhh…” Velvet said, smiling. “What was the text?”

Weiss grinned. “He always insisted that I keep my hair super long, and he was always rambling on about how I had to uphold the ‘Schnee family legacy.’”

Velvet looked up at her, noticing that her hair was quite short.

“So I sent him a picture of about a foot and a half of my hair on the ground from my haircut this afternoon, and I captioned it ‘the Schnee family legacy.’”

Velvet just wordlessly offered her a high-five.

“So, are we just about set?” Coco asked of Velvet.

“Almost!” She said. “Text me if you’ve got any other tech questions, Weiss.”

“I will,” Weiss said. “Thank you so much.”

Velvet shrugged. “Us weres have to stick together.”

“It was nice to meet you!” Ruby said cheerfully. “If you and Coco are around campus on Sunday mornings, you’re welcome to pop in and have pancakes with us.”

Coco raised an eyebrow.

“They’re amazing, trust me,” Weiss vouched.

“Maybe we’ll take you up on that,” she said with a smirk.

“Oh! I wanted to ask,” Weiss said, stopping her. “I, um… yesterday, I was talking to Professor Oobleck - he said you knew him?”

For the first time Weiss had seen thus far, Coco - normally an  _ excessively _ calm and collected individual - actually looked away for a moment, embarrassed, putting a hand behind her head. Weiss saw Velvet give her girlfriend a sympathetic look.

“I… uh… I  _ might _ have tried to kill him, my freshman year of college?” She said hesitantly.

The room was deadly silent for a moment.

“You  _ what?” _ Ruby nearly shouted.

Coco put up her hands, defensively. “Look, I - I didn’t know that he was a good person. I’d just lost my mom to vampires, and when I went to college and learned that one of them was just  _ teaching _ here, as a professor, I was convinced that he was out to harm people.” She sighed, taking in a breath. “I… I followed him on his walk home one night, and when nobody was around, I ran up to him and cast a Daylight spell, more powerful than probably anything I’d done before or since.”

“... and?” Weiss asked, now afraid.

“Well, he survived,” Coco said defensively. Weiss just gave her a gentle nod, prompting her to continue. “I… the spell knocked me out. I didn’t really have any ingredients or anything, so basically  _ all _ the power for it had to come from me. When I came to, I was lying on the couch of a single apartment, with a note and a glass of water on the table in front of me.”

“What’d the note say?” Ruby asked, now engrossed in Coco’s tale.

She let out a tiny little laugh.

“It said, ‘I hope that you’re feeling okay. Apologies, I took you back to my apartment once you passed out. I understand that you have tried to kill me, but I assure you, there are no hard feelings. I would, however, like to talk to you about  _ why _ you attempted this - I promise, I am not the kind of man who anyone would wish to murder. Sincerely, Professor Bartholomew Oobleck, Ph.D.” 

“So… did you talk to him?” Weiss asked.

“Yeah,” Coco said. “Back then, I… I thought every vampire needed to be killed. All I could see were the monsters that took my mom, y’know?”

At this point, Velvet had made her way back to Coco, and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Coco gave her a little smile before continuing.

“But, when I talked with the professor, he told me that there’s a lot more nuance to it. I guess it was pretty dumb that I thought a type of person was inherently evil…”

“They killed your mom,” Velvet said softly. “And sure, of course vampires are people like anyone else, but until you actually have a conversation with them, they’re creatures who sustain themselves entirely on human blood. A little bit of fear is understandable.” Coco let out a laugh.

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug. “Anyways, Oobleck and I talked it out, we exchanged numbers, and he promised to vouch for me if I was ever caught doing a spell somewhere that I shouldn’t be. He told me he started teaching here because he’d always wanted to be a professor, but also… I think he’s on the lookout for hostile magical beings just as much as I am.”

The atmosphere in their apartment became more amicable again, as Velvet finished up helping Weiss block her father just about everywhere. She wasn’t much of one for social media (given her father’s fame, any non-private account she had would have to have an SDC representative running it for her, which she did not care to do), but Velvet spent a minute with her blocking his scroll number, various email addresses, and she even showed Weiss how to use the school’s website to prevent her father from viewing her grades and academic record. 

“Thank you both, so much,” Weiss said. 

“Of course!” Velvet replied. “We’re happy to help.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Ruby announced, pulling two small pizzas out of their oven.

“Seems like our cue to head out, then,” Coco said. “See you two later - and congrats on finally getting together.”

Both of them immediately stopped cold, blushing.

“I - I… we…” Weiss stuttered. “H-how did you…”

Velvet, now almost blushing as hard as they were, very slowly pointed to a large brown ear. “I, um… I was visiting Coco yesterday,” she said, timid. “Her room is only two doors down, so… I heard the song.”

Coco just gave them both a wink. “Have a nice night, you two.” Velvet barely managed to pull her ears and tail back in before Coco dragged her back out of the room.

* * *

Weiss yawned. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

“Oh, okay - want me to turn my light off?” Ruby asked, looking up from her tablet.

“If you’re okay with it,” Weiss said. Ruby just wordlessly flicked it off as Weiss got changed for bed. She walked back towards the space in-between their beds, nervously standing precisely equidistant from both of them.

“Um… Ruby?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Mm?” Ruby hummed, not looking up. Weiss didn’t respond right away, which eventually prompted her to turn around.

“Would… um…” Weiss flushed. “Would it be okay if I slept in your bed again tonight, with you? I - I know that last night, we just sorta… ended up there, but…” she paused, looking at Ruby’s eyes. Ruby was  _ also _ visibly blushing, but she also had a smile, which encouraged Weiss enough to make her keep talking. “But, I um - I really like sleeping, uh…  _ with _ you, and -” she stopped again, realizing that she needed to clarify. “Um! Not in  _ that _ sense, just, you know…”

“Yeah,” Ruby said reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I - I know what you meant, and… yeah.” Her blush deepened a little. “I - I do wanna finish this up, but… if you’re okay with me maybe waking you up when I get into bed with you, I… I wouldn’t mind, either…”

Weiss gave Ruby a smile, and she turned back to her drawing. She felt a pair of hands gently lay themselves on her shoulders, and Weiss was kissing her on the crown of her head over her chair. She gave Ruby’s wolf ears a little scratch.

“Don’t stay up  _ too _ late,” Weiss said, her tail gently brushing along Ruby’s back as she pulled the covers off.

Ruby looked at the piece she’d been working on, then to her new girlfriend. Weiss was now facing away from her, serenely tucked under the blankets. 

Perhaps this assignment could wait until tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case my descriptions weren't clear enough, yes, everyone's got their Volume 7 hair now - except for Weiss, who is instead rocking a much shorter look inspired by this spectacular drawing from levilagann on Tumblr!  
> (https://levilagann.tumblr.com/post/176343049750/doodlecraftie-drew-weiss-with-short-hair-the)  
> They also have a Twitter account by the same name, and I'm a *huge* fan of their work. I highly recommend you look into their art, it's spectacular.
> 
> I love everyone's Volume 7 hair (though the texture on Blake's is a bit... weird) but I am *heavily* disappointed with Rooster Teeth for not giving Weiss a gayer hairstyle. The braid is nice and everything, but c'mon you guys - she'd look *so* good with a shorter, fluffier haircut...  
> I also couldn't help myself, and wrote in that adorable little interaction between Blake and Yang from Volume 7 about her new hair, in case you recognized that exchange.  
> Weiss' hairstylist is actually inspired by *my* hairstylist from my home city, who, yes, ACTUALLY had a rainbow flag dyed into her fauxhawk for Pride, and she just left it in for the next several months. She's my hero.  
> Lastly, I couldn't help but have Velvet complain about the way that "hacking" is portrayed in movies and such - I worked in IT for eight months, and it's just NOT all command lines unless it has to do with data recovery.
> 
> That's all for now! As always, thank you so much for reading The Werewolf of Beacon!
> 
> -Red


	21. Dress Rehearsal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long - I had a bit of a crazy week. Don't worry, I'm still *very* invested in this story, and I hope that all of you are, too!  
> Please enjoy this chapter!
> 
> -Red

Weiss stared up at the moon. It seemed closer to full than it had been just yesterday evening. If she had to guess, she’d say it was around three-quarters of the way there, missing only a thin sliver of its pale white light.

“Hey,” Ruby murmured. “Almost ready?”

“Yes, sorry,” Weiss said. “I just…” she laughed. “It’s a very odd feeling, to look up at a big rock in the sky and think, ‘that thing is going to change me into a humongous wolf creature next week.’”

Ruby let out a little chuckle. “I mean… all I can say is that you’ll get used to it.” She met Weiss’ eyes, giving her a smile. “She’s watching out for you, y’know. She’ll make sure that you get through this okay. I promise.”

“... she?” Weiss asked.

“I like to think so,” Ruby shrugged. “I mean, I guess there’s all that stuff about ‘the man in the moon,’ but then in some mythology, the moon is a girl, like Artemis and Diana…”

Weiss hummed. “I guess I’d never personified the moon like that.”

Ruby laid down on her back on their blanket. Blake and Yang were still on their way. “Well, when the moon turns you into a humongous wolf creature every month…” She let out another tiny laugh. “I guess you start to think of her as a person.”

“I suppose so,” Weiss said. She laid down next to Ruby, thinking. “When… when you said she was ‘watching out for me…’”

“Mm?”  
“What did you mean? Is that… is that a thing, with weres?”

“What, personifying it? I dunno, maybe. Dad told me that some weres kinda worship the moon, or think of it, like… a guardian deity, I guess.” She shrugged. “I mean, we  _ do _ know it’s just a really big rock, out in space. As far as I’ve heard, all the science about the moon and everything is correct. I guess it’s gotta be magical in  _ some _ way, though, because it affects us…”

“Mm. Maybe Coco could tell us something about it.”

“Yeah, maybe. But as for, like… worshipping it, personifying it, whatever…” Ruby shrugged again. “I’m not really religious or anything, and I certainly don’t think that the moon is a sentient force that’s like…  _ consciously _ making me change, but…” she turned her head towards Weiss. “I guess it’s just kinda nice to see her up there, y’know? It’s like she’s lookin’ out for you.”

Weiss made a small sound of affirmation at that.

“Yes, I think I get it. She’s like… a friend, and she’s checking in on you every evening.”

Ruby laughed. “Weiss… you know the moon isn’t  _ only _ out at night, right?”

Weiss stopped for a moment. She hadn’t thought about that. 

“I mean… you can’t always  _ see _ it, but the moon is still there in the sky - on a cloudless day, you can look up at like 2 PM and it’ll just be there. Why do you think we can still change during the day?”

“I guess I just… hadn’t thought about it,” Weiss admitted.

Ruby let out a little giggle.

“Hey!” Weiss said, indignant. “I’m still new at this -  _ you’re _ the werewolf expert!”

“True, true,” Ruby laughed. “But basically, as long as any amount of light from the moon reaches the planet, it’s enough. The only times we can’t change are during the new moon, or maybe like a total lunar eclipse.”

“Okay,” Weiss said. “That makes sense, I guess.”

“Glad I could help,” Ruby said, sitting up. She paused for a moment, letting out a little breath. She turned to look down at Weiss.

“Sorry if I’m not a very good teacher…” she said.

Weiss gave her a look.

“Ruby… hush.” She sat up as well, putting an arm around Ruby’s shoulders. It was a bit of an odd feeling - normally things were the other way around. Weiss dimly realized that even in her same-sex romantic relationship, she’d still fallen into at least some of the patterns of being “with” a man that she’d seen growing up. When they slept, Ruby was always the big spoon, when they snuggled, Ruby’s arm was always around her shoulders, and when they kissed, Ruby was usually the one to start it.

However, holding Ruby like this felt… good. It was a miniscule thing, surely, but it was nice to flip that little social script. Ruby certainly didn’t seem to mind, either. Weiss resolved to do more things like this in the future.

“There’s a lot of material to cover,” Weiss said, getting back on track. “And besides - you have been  _ constantly _ by my side during all of this, helping me whenever and however you can. You were even more than happy to tell me everything about being a werewolf before you knew that I’d actually end up needing it myself.”

Ruby looked up at her, a grateful smile on her lips.

“So don’t beat yourself up about forgetting small stuff, okay?” Weiss asked. She smiled. “I’ll learn as I go.”

And then, looking down into those silver eyes, Weiss got an impulse that she’d often found herself getting over the past several weeks of being near Ruby. She wanted to cup that soft cheek and pull Ruby’s lips to brush against her own.

And, now that they were together, she could finally indulge it.

“Hey, PDA alert!” Yang shouted, walking up with Blake. She was blocking her vision with her hand, as if she were censoring the image in front of her. “You two have an audience now, so maybe cool it with the sucking of the faces!”

“We kiss in front of them  _ all  _ the time,” Blake admonished.

Yang shushed her. “This is different - Ruby’s my baby sister. I  _ refuse _ to allow her to make out in my presence, it’s gross.”

Ruby gave her a dry look over Weiss’ shoulder. “Yang!”

“Sorry sis, them’s the breaks,” Yang said.

“You’re insufferable,” Weiss teased, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, you’re just as guilty as she is, Ice Queen! You’d better be keeping it above the belt with her!”

Both Ruby and Weiss’ cheeks were immediately bright red.

“Okay,” Blake said. She smiled, apparently deciding to join in on the teasing. “Are you guys all set to get naked and be  _ really _ close to one another all evening?”

Yang shot her a glare.

“Well, when you put it like  _ that,” _ Weiss purred, making direct eye contact with Ruby. Upon noticing Weiss’ sultry expression, Ruby blushed even harder, letting out a frankly adorable squeak of both fear and excitement.

Yang’s jaw fell open, unable to speak. Weiss looked over her shoulder at Yang, a snide smile on her lips.

“You’re too easy,” she laughed. It was unclear which sister she was referring to.

_ “Anyways,” _ Blake said, bringing them all back on track. “It’s almost past eight - are you guys ready to change?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, recovering. She began to peel off her shirt. Blake nodded.

“Weiss, do you want me to help you tonight?”

“I think I’ve got it,” she said. “At least… I want to try going on my own, first.”

“I’ll let you go first, just in case,” Blake said. 

Weiss brought her clothes up to Yang, who was hanging their bag up on that same tree limb. She handed them over, somewhat timid because they were both completely naked. Without making any sort of fuss, Yang took her well-folded pile, immediately rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it in the bag. Weiss rolled her eyes, but she didn’t protest.

“You… you didn’t  _ really _ mean that, did you?” She asked softly. “Does me kissing Ruby actually make you uncomfortable? If that’s the case, I can -”

“Nah,” Yang laughed. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not, like… my  _ favorite. _ I don’t particularly  _ like _ watching you make out with my sister.”

Weiss looked down, sheepish.

“But,” Yang said, reassuringly. Weiss met her eyes, careful not to observe too much on her journey up. “I don’t actually mind. You guys are in love or whatever, and that’s great. No need to stop that on my account.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said. Yang nodded.

“Blake and I  _ will _ try to one-up you, though, so maybe don’t take Ruby’s shirt off unless you want me to throw Blake’s at you,” she winked.

Weiss went bright red. Yang just put a hand on her shoulder, chuckling. 

“C’mon, let’s go change.”

  
  


Weiss sniffed at the air, shaking out her freshly-brushed coat. She turned around to Ruby, who gave her a smile before kneeling down to change herself. Blake was already in her panther, now meandering over to Yang’s wolf, who had curled up while Weiss spent a few minutes transforming. She was getting faster, as far as she could tell, but it  _ did _ still take her at least three or four minutes, and Weiss felt a little ashamed at making everyone else wait.

Ruby padded up beside her, giving her a lick on the snout. Weiss closed her eyes, nuzzling her head up against Ruby’s neck. She wasn’t precisely sure what sort of PDA was appropriate when they were in this form, or if there even was anything to really do in that regard -  _ if _ she yet felt comfortable to try any of it in the first place. 

A tiny bark from Yang pulled her out of her thoughts, as the large yellow wolf looked at them over her shoulder, her expression somehow impatient. Without really thinking, Weiss walked forwards and sat down right up against her, ready to howl. She’d only done this once, but somehow the instinct was already there. Ruby walked up beside her, and soon Weiss was comfortably pressed between the siblings.

To the surprise of all of them, Blake actually joined their little line as well, sidling up next to Yang. This got her a puzzled look for a moment - it’s not as though she was able to howl along with them, but it appeared that she’d chosen to at least somewhat take part. Meeting Yang’s eyes, she flicked her head towards the sky, as if to say,  _ Well? Go on. _

Yang moved her forepaws in what could almost look like a shrug before tossing her head up to the sky and singing, her voice proud and clear. Weiss and Ruby soon joined in, creating an almost harmonic trio of notes. A low, more textured sound actually joined their chorus, and Weiss snuck a look beside her to find Blake rubbing her head up against Yang’s neck, purring loudly.

Three sopranos and a bass was not quite ideal for a quartet, as far as Weiss knew, but their odd little group still made the best of it. After only a minute or so, Yang put her head back down, silencing the three of them like the wave of a conductor’s hand. With that, she took off, running in the opposite direction than the one that they’d travelled last week. Blake was right beside her, and Weiss did her best to stick to Ruby.

As she ran, feeling the wind rush through her fur, feeling her paws strike the earth, feeling her heart already start to race - more with excitement than exertion - she found herself taking one last little glance up at the moon, before it disappeared behind the canopy of the trees.

Ruby was right - it was nice to have someone looking out for her.

* * *

It took them almost hour to find their prey - they each took their time, allowing themselves to be sidetracked by smaller creatures, like rabbits and squirrels. Weiss was not prepared for how incredibly fast and agile they were. Two squirrels and a rabbit evaded her jaws before Ruby offered Weiss a catch of her own. While somewhat annoyed by her lack of hunting proficiency, she still accepted. She did have to admit that there was something at least a  _ little _ sexy about her girlfriend literally hunting for her.

Eventually, the four of them found prey large enough to serve as their actual meal - this time, Yang found the trail of an elk. From what Ruby had told her about the creatures in the woods of Patch, elk were basically the largest species that they were comfortable hunting in such a small group. This one wasn’t too big, though - and unlike the last animal they’d hunted together, the elk was female, so they didn’t have to worry about any horns. 

They followed mostly the same rhythm, stalking the elk until she was in an area where Yang and Ruby could corral her to Blake, who waited in the lower branches of a tree. However, this time, Weiss felt comfortable enough in her wolf to actually separate off from Ruby a little bit, taking a position that would assure that the elk would run  _ towards _ Blake’s tree, and not the opposite direction. As soon as she was in position, Ruby leapt out from the brush at the elk, with Yang and Weiss immediately following suit. The three of them each blocked off a direction, forcing the elk to one exact area.

This time, Blake’s elegant pounce pulled the elk down to the ground with her, and they briefly tumbled before Blake was able to land a swift, decisive kill bite. Weiss felt much better about this hunt - they hadn’t dragged it out nearly as much, so the elk’s struggle had been very short. 

  
  


After she’d had her piece, Weiss noticed a fair amount of blood that had landed on Blake’s forehead - most likely from when she’d taken the elk’s throat. Instinctively, she wandered over to Blake and began to lick at the blood, smoothing out the werepanther’s coat. She was absorbed in the work for a moment, until she looked down to check her progress and found herself staring directly into Blake’s yellow eyes.

Weiss’ mouth fell open as she realized precisely  _ what _ she was doing, and to  _ whom - _ she took a few steps backwards out of the sheer awkwardness of it all. This gave her a better view of Yang, who was lying down next to Blake, and staring  _ directly _ at Weiss, one of the elk’s hind legs completely forgotten in-between her jaws.

Weiss’ breath caught as she realized that she’d overstepped, and she sat back, dropping her head as low as it would go in an apology. Without even meaning to, she let out a low, sorrowful whine, too nervous and embarrassed to meet either werecreature’s gaze. 

She was honestly about to change back and blurt out a lengthy, verbal apology before she felt Blake’s head pressing underneath her chin, picking her head up from its sorrowful position. Weiss opened her eyes to find Blake standing there - but instead of anger or malice, the werepanther was simply curious. Slowly, she laid down on the ground before Weiss, her yellow eyes conveying a shocking amount of comfort. She then closed them, extending her head to Weiss as if to offer the patch of bloodied fur to her, her tail flicking back and forth lazily. Weiss looked past her, and Yang had already returned to her meal.

Weiss blinked. Blake couldn’t _possibly_ be _asking_ Weiss to clean her, could she? Weiss didn’t have much experience with grooming or anything, but surely it was more of a couples’ activity. Weiss looked over to Ruby, who was lying down on the other side of the elk, having eaten her fill. She had clearly observed the whole thing. Weiss met her eyes, hoping that her look conveyed the question that she wanted it to - how frustrating it was to not be able to speak in this form.

Ruby gave Weiss a little flick of her head, encouraging. The tender look in her silver eyes was surprising, and completely unexpected. Weiss looked back down at Blake, whose eyes were still patiently closed. Well, if  _ Blake’s _ girlfriend didn’t seem to mind, and if  _ Weiss’  _ girlfriend didn’t, either…

Slowly, taking much more care than she had initially, Weiss began to lick down the matted fur on Blake’s forehead. Blake almost immediately pressed into the contact, further encouraging her. Weiss was just glad that her wolf was incapable of showing a blush. 

Eventually, Blake settled back as Weiss carefully removed the blood from her fur. A low rumble began to emanate from her, and Weiss could just  _ barely _ feel the vibrations created by the sound through her physical contact. Blake was apparently  _ purring, _ which made Weiss even more nervous, but she continued. She tried to take it as positive feedback, but she had to admit that the entire experience was at least a  _ little _ bit anxiety-inducing.

Weiss felt a body brushing up against her side, and stopped to look down - it was Ruby, now apparently deciding to clean off Weiss’ forepaws. She felt a little bit of warmth in her chest at Ruby’s gentleness, but a small  _ mrow _ of protestation from Blake pulled her back out of her thoughts. She almost rolled her eyes down at the werepanther before returning to her original task, and the three of them ended up creating an odd sort of massage train.

By the time Weiss was finished, Yang stood up, shaking herself off. She gave them all a small bark, indicating that it was time to head back to the blanket. However, Blake stood in front of her, stopping her. She then leaned her head underneath Yang’s chin to clean up some of the blood that had dripped down there. Ruby and Weiss shared a look before each taking one of her forepaws.

Yang stared down at them, surprised, but her breathing soon relaxed and became almost blissful. It didn’t take very long with the three of them, and by the time they were finished, Yang gave each of the girls a thankful lick.

Once everyone was mostly cleaned up and ready for bed, they all followed Ruby’s nose back to their blanket.

* * *

Weiss pulled on one of the pairs of tights that she’d picked up from the tailor’s, relieved to finally have all of her altered clothes back. They fit just as well as they always had, and with a little hesitation, she let her tail out. 

It took a tiny moment for the appendage to push through the flap, but once it did, Weiss felt more comfortable in a pair of tights than she had since being Turned. Without Maria’s alterations, she’d had to either keep her tail in or pull the waistband down far enough to make space for it, and it was  _ such _ a relief to no longer make that choice. Smiling, Weiss began to fold up the rest of the clothes she’d brought back with her from Patch.

“How do they feel?” Ruby asked, noticing that Weiss had tried the tights on. There was just the tiniest note of nervousness in her voice, as if  _ she _ were the one who had made the alterations.

“Lovely,” Weiss said, giving her a warm smile. “I had no idea how much I missed high-waisted tights.”

“Great,” Ruby said, visually relieved. After a moment, she added, “Oh, and, uh… I know we didn’t really get to talk much about the hunt yesterday, so… how did that feel?”

Weiss looked down at her for a moment. Ruby was generally only this nervous when they’d been doing something physically intimate (before they started dating, at least), or when she was worried about a very particular thing. 

“I felt fine, Ruby,” Weiss said, making sure that her voice stayed tender. “If I’m honest, I think I prefer your cooking to raw elk, but I can’t say that it’s not filling.”

Ruby let out a little laugh. “Yeah, okay, but I mean… did you feel like you’re getting the hang of it? You’re, like…feeling comfortable being a wolf and everything?” Weiss tried to meet her silver eyes, but they were pointed at the floor.

Okay. Something was definitely wrong.

“Hey,” Weiss said, letting the pair of pants that she’d been folding drop back onto her bed for a moment, and wrapping Ruby into a hug. “What’s up with you?”

“N-nothing,” Ruby said, flipping a little strand of her bangs out of her eyes. “Sorry, I’m just… worried…”

“About next week?” Weiss asked softly. With everything that had happened with her father breaking in, and then with Weiss’ confession, they’d barely had a chance to discuss it.

“Y-yeah,” Ruby admitted. “I just… what if you… y’know…”

“No ‘what-ifs,’” Weiss said, her voice barely above a whisper. She had absolutely no expertise in calming her own anxieties, but when Ruby was expressing a similar fear, it felt as though every cell in Weiss’ body had no other thoughts or objectives besides trying to comfort her. “We can’t think about what  _ might  _ happen, okay?”

“I mean… it’s kinda hard not to,” Ruby countered.

Weiss let out a breath, shrugging to concede the point. 

“I suppose,” she admitted. Her confidence was still undaunted. “But, hey - you said that I’ll have a much better chance because I’m young and healthy, right?”

Ruby nodded.

“And you’ve been showing me everything you can about being a werewolf - and so have Yang and Blake.”

Ruby nodded again.

“And, perhaps this is just my ego talking, but it certainly  _ seems _ like my body is handling my lycanthropy pretty well, all things considered.” She wiggled her ears a little for emphasis, flashing a literally wolfish grin.

Ruby’s third nod was accompanied by a little snort of laughter, but she was still struggling to meet Weiss’ gaze.

“So… try not to worry about it, okay?”

Ruby sighed, finally looking into Weiss’ deep blue eyes. She rubbed her own - whether it was to dry them or simply because something had been stuck in there was a secret that Weiss would take to her grave.

“Okay,” she finally said. Her smile was weak, but it was still there, and Weiss cherished it all the same. “I dunno why  _ you’re _ the one reassuring  _ me,” _ Ruby, almost laughing at herself. “It’s not as though  _ I’m _ the one who might…”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Weiss said, the assertion also preventing Ruby from finishing her sentence. “I… Ruby, two months ago, I was wholly dependent on my father, I didn’t have any friends, and I had no idea what a  _ real _ family was like.” Ruby looked up at Weiss, and was surprised to find a smile on her face, considering the things that she’d just said. “But today, I’m entirely free from my father’s influence, I’m closer to my sister than I’ve ever been, I have some of the kindest friends that I think I’m ever going to have, and…” she paused, her smile getting a bit wider. She squeezed Ruby a little bit closer to her, and felt the action be enthusiastically reciprocated. “And I feel like I’ve  _ finally _ got the family I couldn’t have even wished for up until now.”

“R-really?” Ruby asked, her eyes wide. It was as if she couldn’t have imagined that Weiss now had all those things, despite being the main reason that she had almost all of them.

“Yes,” Weiss said, her tone of voice gently implying that Ruby was being silly for even asking. She smiled. “And I  _ also _ happen to be dating a rather cute girl.”

Ruby’s eyes softened for a moment, before filling up with a laugh.

“Oh, really?” Ruby asked, finally wrapping her arms around Weiss’ waist instead of just letting them hang. “What’s her name?”

“Mm, wouldn’t you like to know,” Weiss replied, her lips brushing up against Ruby’s.

“Is she prettier than me?” Ruby asked, through their kiss.

“Actually, believe it or not, you’re almost identical,” Weiss said. She pulled away, meeting Ruby’s eyes again. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said warmly. “I… thanks, Weiss. I just… really needed that.”

“You’re very welcome,” Weiss replied, slipping out from her embrace to return to folding. She gave Ruby one last look over her shoulder, unable to keep the snide grin off of her face. “I  _ told _ you not to underestimate me.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine, you’re really good at comforting me with emotional stuff and I should probably let you do it more often,” Ruby said, monotone, as if she were being forced to read from a script that Weiss had given her.

Weiss only smiled back politely as Ruby started making lunch.

“So, I  _ did _ actually want to ask one thing about yesterday,” Weiss said, through her grilled cheese. A tiny part of her old instincts told her not to speak with her mouth full, but another part of her just blamed Yang for how her table manners had begun to erode.

“Mm?” Ruby asked, putting her scroll down to listen.

“I… when I started to help groom Blake’s fur,” she began, “I guess I… I didn’t really know where that impulse came from. I didn’t even fully realize that I was  _ doing _ it until she was looking at me.”

Ruby gave her a nod, encouraging her to continue.

“And I just… I’m normally not really the type of person to initiate… anything. Especially something physical like that.”

Ruby tilted her head. “You’ve started doing that with  _ me  _ \- at least a little bit.”

“Well, sure, with  _ you,” _ Weiss said, blushing a little. “But with Blake, I…” She met Ruby’s eyes. “Did it have something to do with me being in my wolf? Does being in that form… alter our personalities, at all?”

“Maybe a little bit,” Ruby admitted with a shrug. “I dunno - it’s sorta hard to act  _ exactly _ like a person would when you’re a giant, furry, four-legged creature, but… well, it’s not like you become totally different or anything.”

“I  _ guess _ so,” Weiss said, not entirely convinced. She looked up at Ruby. “Do I seem like I’m any different to you, when I’m in my wolf?”

Ruby shook her head. “Not dramatically. Like, maybe you’re a  _ little _ bit more nervous than you usually are, but I think it’s just because you’re still figuring things out.” Weiss nodded, prompting Ruby to continue. “I mean… you’re still dignified, you’re still gentle, you still get flustered  _ really _ easily…” Ruby gave Weiss a snide glance, her red cheeks proving Ruby’s point perfectly, “You’re still kind, caring… and  _ really _ pretty.” Now it was Ruby’s turn to blush. “So, yeah. You’re still Weiss.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, her voice small. They exchanged awkward smiles for a moment before Weiss returned to thinking. 

“Does that help any?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, but… well  _ now _ I’m just wondering why I did that. With  _ Blake! _ I-I mean, I like Blake, I enjoy her company, but…”

Ruby just raised an eyebrow. Weiss blushed a little harder.

“I just… I was sort of under the impression that the whole ‘grooming’ thing was a couples-only activity…”

Ruby blinked, her eyes going wide.  _ “Oh,” _ she said, laughing a little bit. “So  _ that’s _ why you looked so guilty when you saw me!”

Weiss crossed her arms. “Well, I - I certainly didn’t  _ intend _ to imply anything like that - a-and, our, erm… relationship, is still rather new, and -”

“Weiss,” Ruby said, putting a hand on her knee. “Relax. If you notice a little blood somewhere on Blake or Yang, you can clean it up for them. I won’t be offended, I promise.”

“O-okay,” Weiss said, nodding. 

“Are  _ you _ okay with another were doing that for  _ me?” _ Ruby asked, in earnest. She gave Weiss a searching look, ever mindful of her boundaries.

“I-I suppose not,” Weiss said. “If it’s Blake or Yang, I don’t think I’d mind.”

Ruby nodded. “I mean, I’m gonna be honest with you, Yang and I have done that since forever, so… sorry, even as my girlfriend, you don’t really get a say there.”

Weiss nodded, understanding completely. If Ruby expressed discomfort with Winter showing her affection or something, that would raise a red flag.

“But, when it comes to Blake, or any other were,” Ruby said, her voice softer, “If it makes you uncomfortable, then I won’t let them. Okay?”

“O-okay,” Weiss said, grateful. “I… um… do you think that we’d ever even really… do that... with another were, besides Yang and Blake?”

“I dunno,” Ruby shrugged. “I’d say maybe Velvet, eventually, but… I guess she doesn’t really  _ hunt _ on a full moon like we do, because she’s a vegetarian, so…”

Weiss just hummed at that, thoughtful.

“I… I certainly don’t mind Blake or Yang doing it,” Weiss said. She blushed. “I mean… I said it today already, but… they feel like my family, too.”

Weiss caught a glimpse of…  _ something _ in Ruby’s eyes, but she blinked and it was gone - as if her words had reminded Ruby of something that was quickly deemed unimportant for the moment.

“Yeah,” Ruby said with a smile. “But you asked me why you felt the urge to do it in the first place, right?”

“Yes!” Weiss agreed enthusiastically, glad for the segue.

“Well,” Ruby said, scratching behind an ear (Weiss couldn’t help but notice how adorably it flicked forwards with each motion), “I will admit that being a werewolf comes with some… instincts. I thought it was just stuff that I’d learned from watching Dad and Yang as I grew up, but after seeing you, once you’d sort of gotten a hang of your wolf… I’m starting to think that it might be more inherent.”

“What sort of instincts?” Weiss asked. 

“Well, there’s the basic stuff - I mean, you figured out walking almost right away, and you were running pretty easily by your second change. Your tail wags when you’re happy, your ears droop when you’re upset… that sort of thing.”

Weiss considered that. Trying to walk in her wolf  _ had _ taken her a little bit of effort, at first, but she felt like she’d gotten a solid rhythm down pretty easily. She figured that it was because she was learning to walk at eighteen years of age instead of as a toddler, but Ruby’s point about instincts also made quite a bit of sense.

“And you think me wanting to clean the blood off of Blake’s forehead was part of that?”

“Maybe,” Ruby said, giving her a shrug. “I mean,  _ you’re _ the one who would know how much it was a choice and how much it was a reflex, right?”

“I suppose so,” Weiss admitted. “I mean, I honestly don’t really know if normal people are approximately as intimate with their friends as we are, or if that’s just a were thing - my perspective is so skewed by how my family was…”

Ruby put a hand on her knee, understanding. “Well,  _ my _ perspective is skewed the opposite way, but I’d say that weres are maybe a bit more snuggly than your average human. I’m sure there are human friend groups who all get into a big platonic cuddle pile like we do for movie nights and stuff, but… I think weres are a little more likely to do it than humans are.”

“Okay,” Weiss said, processing that. “So… do you think that I’d be…” she paused, struggling with her phrasing. “Do you think I’d be more likely to do that with… with  _ anyone?” _

“I doubt it,” Ruby said. “I think it’s like… hmm…” She thought for a moment, forming an example in her head. After a moment, she perked up, her eyes brightening. “Oh!” 

Weiss looked at her expectantly.

“Okay, so, say we were all hanging out eating, and you noticed a bit of something on Blake’s face.” Ruby tapped the side of her mouth.

“All right…” Weiss said, wondering where this example was going.

“And say you point it out to her, and she wipes her mouth, but she doesn’t get it. And you try again, and she misses again, and…” Ruby trailed off, expecting Weiss to reply.

“I’d probably just grab my own napkin and wipe it off,” Weiss admitted. 

“Right,” Ruby said, her eyes a little bit sparkly - this was clearly the answer she’d been expecting. “Okay, so  _ now _ imagine that you’re at a coffee shop near campus, and it’s crowded, so you’re at one of those big tables where lots of people sit, even if they’re strangers.”

“Okay…” Weiss said, her eyes narrowing as she wondered where this was going.

“So say, the person next to you has something on their face again, but  _ this _ time it’s Mr. B.O. from Writing,” she said. “Would you still wipe it off for him?”

Weiss’ nose curled at the very thought. The boy that Ruby was referring to was one of their classmates from Professor Oobleck’s class - he must have an afternoon sports practice or something on Thursdays, and it seemed that no one had yet introduced him to the wonders of mens’ deodorant. He fortunately sat in the back row, far from their usual spots, but the mere act of him walking by was nearly unbearable to their enhanced senses.

_ “Absolutely _ not,” Weiss said, shaking the gross image out of her head.

“So there you go,” Ruby replied with a smile. “It seems like something you’d only really do with somebody you trust.” She winked. “Especially when they don’t reek of gross man sweat.”

“That makes sense,” Weiss admitted with a laugh. “But… do you think it’s because I’m a wolf, now?”

“I dunno,” Ruby admitted. “I… sorta don’t know what it’s like to  _ not _ be a wolf.”

“Oh…” Weiss said. “I… right. I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Ruby laughed. “While we’re here, do you have any other random werewolf questions?”

Weiss thought for a moment - she hadn’t prepared a list of questions or anything since that first morning after she’d learned that Ruby was a werewolf, she’d just been asking as she went. After a moment of idle wondering, she came up with two.

“So… I, er… I may have done some... research... on wolves, at a certain point,” Weiss admitted, now a little shy.

“Okay,” Ruby said. “There’s a lot of similarities, though normal wolves are a bit different - especially when it comes to behavioral stuff.”

Weiss swallowed thickly. “It actually  _ may _ have been about werewolves, specifically…”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “What, like… the mythology? Monster movies? That stuff is like maybe thirty percent reliable, at most.”

“I remember,” Weiss said. “But I figured that maybe some smaller sources might be more accurate - I tried to look for people saying things I knew were true already, and then see what else they had to say…” Ruby’s eyebrow went a little higher, now concerned at how much Weiss was delaying her question. She sighed, resolving to just ask it.

“Are there, like… ‘alpha wolves,’ amongst weres?”

Ruby closed her eyes for a moment. She took a long breath, rubbing her temples between her thumb and forefinger. She almost wanted to ask where Weiss had found this information, but realized that she probably already knew the answer.

“No, Weiss. There are no ‘alpha’ werewolves, or ‘beta’ werewolves, or anything like that. That all comes from a study that this one scientist made about normal wolves, but he learned that it only happened in captivity, and that normally, wild wolves don’t have, like… a hierarchy. The original study was disproved by the same guy who made it in the first place when he did more research. Now ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’ are mostly words used by dumb manosphere guys on the internet.”

“Ah,” Weiss said. “That makes… a bit more sense.” Her cheeks were flushed. Ruby just met her eyes.

“Weiss,  _ please _ don’t tell me that you spent an evening reading about super graphic werewolf sex.”

Weiss was quiet for almost thirty seconds. Very softly, she murmured, “It was actually in the mid-afternoon…”

Ruby just shook her head. “Do you… do you  _ want _ to talk about werewolf sex? I-I mean, from like, an educational standpoint, I guess I can give it a shot, but if you’re talking about doing stuff with me specifically, I… I feel like it’s maybe a bit  _ early _ to -”

Weiss’ face went redder than Ruby’s hair before she finally managed to shout “NO!” 

Ruby stopped, and neither girl could meet the other’s gaze for a while. Weiss closed her eyes and forced her blush down. Ruby let out a small cough.

“S-sorry,” Weiss said. “I… yes, I also think that anything like that would be… er, our current level of physical intimacy is fine. I mean - it’s good. I-I’m happy with it.”

They met each others’ eyes, and they both began to laugh.

“How… how graphic  _ was _ it?” Ruby asked, morbidly curious.

“It was very… detailed,” Weiss admitted. “I wasn’t necessarily  _ comfortable _ reading it, but it was so…  _ intense… _ that I couldn’t really stop.” She shrugged. “I mean, I guess it’s something that other people enjoy reading, and that’s great, but…”

“Not your thing?” Ruby asked with a laugh.

“Not particularly,” Weiss agreed.

They were quiet for a moment.

“Do… do you have any questions for me about it?” Ruby asked. “Like… from an educational standpoint?”

Weiss blushed. “Um… I suppose the only thing I’d wonder about is… whether it’s really much different than that sort of thing is for… er… for humans.”

“I mean, when weres are in their human forms, no,” Ruby said. “That’s basically… y’know. Everything you saw in high school.”

Weiss nodded. She’d attended a very upper-class boarding school before going to Beacon, but  _ that _ lesson had been more or less the same.

“And… I mean… I’ve never really tried, and if I know someone who has, they haven’t told me about it,” Ruby said. She paused, thinking of a way to phrase it. “But… well… we have the two other forms…”

Weiss just very slowly nodded, no other words to be said. 

“Speaking  _ of _ our other forms,” Weiss said slowly. Ruby’s look was almost frightened, but Weiss held up a placating hand. “I, um… I don’t even really know if it’s something I’d want to do in my wolf or my were or anything, but… is there an equivalent to… um… kissing? When we’re in those forms?”

Ruby’s eyes widened, a snarky grin finding its way to her face. “You wanted to kiss me last night, huh?” She teased.

Weiss rolled her eyes, smacking Ruby on the arm. “Just tell me, you dolt.”

Ruby’s grin seemed to gain a pound of snark for a moment, but it did eventually fade after that.

“Honestly, there isn’t  _ really _ much that we can do. I guess you’ve seen the way that Blake flirts with Yang in her panther…” Weiss nodded, recalling several instances where their friend had unsubtly brushed up against Yang, wrapping her tail around Yang’s leg, or jumped into Yang’s lap and demanded affection.

“But for us wolves, there’s only really one thing I know,” Ruby said. “It works for all of our forms, though - we don’t even have to be in the  _ same _ form.”

Weiss tilted her head, curious. Ruby turned in her chair, facing Weiss directly.

“C’mere,” she said shyly, curling her fingers towards Weiss. Weiss faced her, and Ruby leaned in, almost like she was going for a kiss - Weiss closed her eyes, expecting one, especially as Ruby’s hand found its way to her cheek. Instead, though, she felt Ruby’s forehead gently pressing against her own, the very tips of their ears just barely mingling. Weiss felt a surge of warmth in her chest at the gesture, and she lightly pressed back against Ruby.

Ruby let go, sitting back a little, her cheeks redder than they were when they’d started.

“So, uh, there’s that,” she said awkwardly. “I don’t really know if there’s a name for it, or anything - but I know it’s explicitly romantic. I’ve never done it with Yang or anything.”

“O-oh,” Weiss said, understanding the extra weight behind the gesture now. “If… if Yang never showed it to you, then where…”

Ruby paused, for a moment - Weiss could almost  _ feel _ the heavy emotion in the air.

“My mom and dad used to do it,” she said, her voice impossibly soft. “I - I don’t remember much of her, but… when she would come home from work or something, he’d go to see her at the door, and they’d kiss and then press their foreheads together. In… um… in one of my baby photos, they’re holding me between them, and… they’re doing that.”

Weiss just nodded, not daring to ask Ruby to speak another word.

“Th-thank you,” Weiss said. “For sharing.”

Ruby nodded back, still calming her emotions down a bit.

_ For all of our forms… _ Weiss thought to herself. She imagined doing the same gesture with Ruby in her wolf, and then a little whisper of a memory entered her mind.

“Oh…” she said softly.

“Mm?” Ruby asked, mostly recovered already.

“S-sorry, I was just… remembering.” Ruby tilted her head in confusion. “We… we’ve done that once before, right? During my first hunt?”

Ruby blushed. “I… I guess so, technically…” she murmured. “I - we - we weren’t dating yet, and when I put my head down, I… I didn’t expect you to do that, and I knew you didn’t know what it  _ meant, _ but I just… nobody had ever done that with me before, and I was so… I just… I  _ had  _ to reciprocate it, I… I’m sorry.”

Weiss met her eyes, putting her hands on Ruby’s knees.

“Ruby, what are you apologizing for?”

“I… I… Weiss, I  _ basically _ kissed you and you didn’t know that that’s what it was...” Ruby said, ashamed. “I - you didn’t know what you were doing, or at least what it meant to me, so…”

“Maybe not,” Weiss admitted. “But I was in love with you then, and I’m in love with you now - I was just too afraid to admit it back then. And… I guess I probably wouldn’t have done it if I’d known, but that’s only because I would be too nervous. Besides, I… from what you’re telling me, it sounds like it really meant a lot to you.”

“It did.” Ruby said. Weiss had expected her to stutter a little bit, or fumble with her phrasing, but that affirmation came from her instantly, as clear as day. She smiled. “It… it  _ really _ did.”

“Then I’m very glad that I did it,” Weiss said. “And… I’m going to be honest with you, Ruby. If at  _ any _ point in the time between basically the second week of classes and when I made that song for you, if you had just randomly kissed me, I would have  _ immediately _ kissed you back.” She smiled. “So… please don’t feel bad about reciprocating that. Okay?”

“Okay,” Ruby said, nodding. She smiled, closing her eyes in thought for a moment.

Weiss tenderly pulled her closer, and she pressed their foreheads together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mr. B.O." is Cardin Winchester.
> 
> -Red


	22. Moonrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Weiss to face the moon.
> 
> As a small spoiler/trigger warning that I hope will ease some fears... all four of them are going to make it out of this just fine. I never liked burying my gays. That being said, this chapter still gets pretty intense, so please take care of yourself. As always, there WILL be a happy ending.
> 
> Also, thank you so very much for 750 kudos! The bonus chapter is now on its way!
> 
> -Red

For the very first time since she’d been Turned, Weiss found herself having an  _ impressively _ normal week. Classes had begun to really pick up, and even though they had an excuse, she and Ruby figured that they may as well start attending them normally again, just so that their work didn’t pile up too much. Most of Weiss’ time was spent in around the same way as any other normal college student’s, aside from a phone call with Detective O’Brien on Monday afternoon.

He hadn’t really had much to say, though it appeared rather unlikely that they’d be able to actually tie this incident back to her father. Weiss was hardly surprised. There “simply wasn’t enough evidence to justify an arrest,” as the detective had said, though Weiss figured that her word alone would be “enough” evidence if Jacques were a minority. 

Weiss frowned at the memory. She hadn’t exactly been holding her breath about the police investigation going anywhere, but it unfortunately left her with no ideas as for what her father was going to do next, or when. Her closest guess was the new moon, when she and Ruby wouldn’t be able to change, but Coco had already offered to fortify their dorm building with a few stronger, admittedly temporary spells. Winter and Robyn had also offered to help however they could, though Weiss and Ruby had talked about just spending the evening at Taiyang’s house, which her father hopefully didn’t know about.

Plus, Weiss had  _ another _ phase of the moon coming up that was even more worrisome.

Weiss suddenly remembered the text exchange she’d had with her father that night - surely, him saying “I’m on my way” would be enough evidence to show that he’d been there. However, when she looked for her message history with him, anything even  _ slightly _ incriminating was mysteriously gone. 

She hadn’t deleted those messages.

Weiss immediately sent a text to Velvet.

  
  


_ Hey, can I ask you a tech question? _

_ What’s up? _

Weiss blinked at Velvet’s near-instantaneous response time. She figured that the werehare probably didn’t spend too much time away from her scroll or her computer, considering that she apparently did all of her assignments on the latter.

_ So… the night where my father came _

_ He sent me several text messages _

_ I just remembered them, and I think they might’ve been incriminating _

_ But… they’re all gone. _

_ I didn’t delete them or anything _

_ Is it your whole text history w/ him? _

_ No, it’s *just* the messages from that night. _

_ Do you know how that could have happened? _

_ Is that… possible? With hacking? _

_ Theoretically, but… _

_ Someone would need total access to your scroll _

_ They aren’t really meant to be remotely accessed tho... _

_ Do you have your messages synced w/ your computer? _

_ Yes. Is that a bad thing? _

_ That might be part of it. It’s a lot easier to access a _

_ computer than it is to access a scroll, just cuz scrolls aren’t _

_ really built for SSH or anything. _

_ … do I want to ask what that is? _

_ It’s basically used to remotely access a computer _

_ Like, if you work in an office, but can work from home _

_ Normally both computers know about it tho... _

_ Anyways your computer might have something to do with it _

_ What kind of laptop do you have? _

_ The same one as all the SDC executives. _

_ Father insisted, for security reasons. _

_ As if I was accidentally going to get a virus and let _ _  
_ _ top secret SDC data (that I don’t have) get stolen. _

_ Shit. That might explain it _

_ Do you need your laptop right now? _

_... kind of? _

_ I could take it for a day or so and reformat it _

_ Your dad might have used an SDC “security” _

_ feature to remotely wipe some of your _

_ info. _

_ He can do that? _

_ Lots of corporations can actually. It makes sense for _

_ company data - but for a personal machine... it’s a huge _

_ invasion of privacy. _

_ Ah, one of Father’s favorite pastimes. _

_ How long would it take for you to... “reformat?” _

_ ~6 hours? Depends how much stuff you have _

_ When’re you free? _

  
  


After discussing logistics with Velvet, she agreed to come by Weiss and Ruby’s room on Thursday afternoon to clear all the data and programs off of Weiss’ system, though she was honestly wondering if she should just buy a new computer. The SDC snowflake engraved onto the case of the laptop was no longer a welcome sight. She wasn’t  _ exactly _ drowning in excess cash at the moment, but she’d honestly consider selling a few shares on the market just to get rid of the thing.

“Hey!” Ruby said, returning from class. She noticed Weiss’ thoughtful expression. “Is something goin’ on?”

“Not really,” Weiss said. “I was just talking to Velvet - we think my father may have used my computer to erase some text messages off my scroll. She says she can wipe it for me. Is it okay if she’s here tomorrow?”

“Fine by me,” Ruby said. She put her art bag down, shaking her head. “Jeez, I thought we’d thought of everything...”

“Yes,” Weiss said, crossing her arms in her chair. “Even  _ I’m _ surprised with how many ties I’ve had to cut with him, only to find more.”

“Hey,” Ruby said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise. Even if the cops don’t end up helping us -”

“They won’t,” Weiss said. “Detective O’Brien basically told me as much on Monday.”

“I was afraid of that,” she said. “But, even if the cops can’t help us, your dad still has to keep up appearances. It seems like he can’t just attack us whenever, or he’s at least waiting for new moons. If we play our cards right, and just try to stick to campus at night, we’ll be safe.”

“Sure, but for how long?” Weiss asked. “I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder every night until graduation.”

Ruby shuddered at the thought. “I dunno,” she said. “I mean... unless you wanna try and go fight him or something, it kinda seems like the ball’s in his court right now.”

Weiss pondered the idea for less than a second. Her father may not be in the Schnee mansion, which was about as fortified as a military outpost (after all, the military  _ was _ Jacques’ best customer), but they certainly couldn’t just waltz into his hotel with some wooden stakes. And that, of course, was even assuming it was the same hotel,  _ and _ that they could take her father and whatever other vampires he may have around in a straight fight...

Weiss sighed, slumping back in her chair, her head hanging backwards. This left her looking up at an upside-down Ruby, whose silver eyes held tender concern for her.

“Hey,” Ruby said softly. “I think we’re just gonna have to play this by ear. Your dad can’t just bust in here with so many humans around, and he knows that we’re expecting him to do something. Whatever happens, I’ll be here.”

“I know...” Weiss said. There were so many things to worry about, but considering that she’d somehow lost almost an hour just wallowing in her anxiety, that clearly wasn’t benefiting her very much. “How was class?” 

“All right,” Ruby said. “I didn’t miss  _ too _ much, just some studio time. Apparently they did some dumb tutorial for my drawing software, but I already know how to use that, and the prof’s just gonna let the graded part slide, I think.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed.

Ruby laughed, as she was still slumped all the way back in her desk chair, and they were apparently having this conversation while the other person looked upside-down. Ruby leaned down to kiss Weiss on the forehead before plopping down at her own desk, returning her laptop to its docking station.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“Do we still have chicken breast?”

“Think so. That sounds good.”

With the full moon approaching, Weiss had been trying to go for more of a meat-based diet, just to make sure that the wolf inside her was as sated as it possibly could be by the first time it emerged. Weiss had no idea if that would work, but it made her feel a little bit better. If Ruby had noticed, she hadn’t said anything, and Weiss loved her for it.

Ruby opened the fridge just to make sure, and it turned out that yes, they still had  _ plenty _ of chicken breast. Weiss might’ve bought too much when they’d gone grocery shopping that week, but she’d also paid for the entire trip instead of splitting it down the middle with Ruby like she normally did, and Ruby figured that the moon had her overpreparing a little bit. She wanted to comfort Weiss, to tell her that she shouldn’t be anxious about the moon - but honestly, she had a right to be, and she wasn’t alone in it. Ruby had figured that it would be better not to bring it up.

What scared Ruby the most about what was coming in two days is that now, there wasn’t really much that she could  _ do _ for Weiss - not at this point. She’d briefly wondered if it was possible to have Weiss transform into her were without a moon, so that they could let her take her time and feel what that transformation was like. But, after pitching the idea to Blake and Yang, they’d agreed that it would probably be less safe. Ultimately, transforming into her were might be too much for Weiss to do without the moon’s help - Blake had mentioned that almost everyone she knew back in the White Fang hadn’t really gotten the hang of their larger form until a few years after their first full moon as an adult werecreature. 

The only option that was really left was to take Weiss out into the woods and hope that they’d see her in the morning.

* * *

Weiss leaned back against the wall above Ruby’s bed, while looking into her laptop. Velvet had taken Weiss’ computer back to Coco’s room to wipe it and reinstall all of her personal data, and she apparently wouldn’t be done before they had to go to First-Year Writing with Oobleck, but Winter had insisted on a video call before the moon that next evening.

Ruby checked her scroll, likely double-checking to make sure that she’d typed the username in correctly. She changed one character in the middle, then sent a friend request. It was accepted almost immediately, and her laptop began to ring.

“Ready?” She asked Weiss.

Weiss nodded, and Ruby answered the call.

“Hey, Winter,” Weiss said, giving an awkward little wave. The image of her sister was slightly askew because she had her head against Ruby’s shoulder. She dimly realized that she’d never actually  _ told _ Winter or Robyn that they’d started dating, but she supposed now was as good a time as any.

“Hello, Weiss,” Winter replied, Robyn sitting beside her apprehensively.

No one really knew how to acknowledge the werewolf in the room.

“So... how have your classes been going?” Winter asked, hesitant. 

“Fine,” Weiss said. “I went to that one sociology class I’d been skipping today - I did  _ not _ miss the one boy who insists upon playing ‘devil’s advocate’ in every discussion.”

Robyn let out a little laugh at that, though Winter only smiled. It  _ almost _ reached her eyes.

The two sisters made small talk for a little while, with both of their companions listening silently. Weiss stayed up against Ruby’s shoulder, something that both women on the other end clearly noticed. Once Weiss and Winter had mostly caught up since the last time they’d had a chance to talk, Robyn finally spoke up.

“So, you and Pipsqueak - what’s going on there?”

Winter  _ immediately _ shot her a venomous look, which Robyn somehow failed to notice.

“O-oh...” Ruby said, blushing.

“Yes, um...” Weiss said, now a little timid. She looked up to meet her girlfriend’s eyes. Ruby wordlessly laid her arm across Weiss shoulders, squeezing her just a little bit. 

“Ruby and I are... well... we’ve started dating.”

“No, see, I figured that,” Robyn said, brushing the revelation aside aside. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by Winter smacking her on the arm.

“Robyn!” Winter’s glare bounced worthlessly off of Robyn’s cheeky grin. Winter just rolled her eyes, turning back to the camera. “Weiss, that’s wonderful news - for both of you.”

She met Ruby’s eyes at the last part, almost challenging her for a moment. Ruby flinched a little, but returned her gaze. At this, Winter gave her a barely perceptible nod of approval. Ruby tried not to sigh in relief.

“Yes, it  _ is _ great, and we’re both happy for you,” Robyn said, quick but sincere. Her cheeky grin soon returned, though, as she asked, “So... who confessed to who?”

Weiss’ cheeks reddened considerably.

“U-um... I did,” she admitted. “I recorded a love song for Ruby, and I asked her out while it was playing.”

“Ah-HA!” Robyn nearly shouted, jumping from her chair. She pointed down at Winter, whose palm was now covering her entire face. “I  _ told _ you! Pay up!”

“You are  _ such _ a child,” Winter said, shaking her head. The tiniest fraction of a smile could be seen from behind her hand.

Ruby’s brows furrowed for a moment, until she understood what was happening.

“Did you guys... did you guys  _ bet _ on which one of us was gonna ask the other one out?!?” Ruby asked, shocked.

“It was Robyn’s idea,” Winter sighed, clearly embarrassed.

“And you went along with it?” Weiss asked her sister, genuinely surprised.

“Weiss, I say this as a loving older sister - you are  _ not _ the type of person to initiate things, especially when it comes to your emotions. It was... a bet I figured I could win.”

Weiss crossed her arms, indignant, but Ruby chuckled at the statement. Weiss just rolled her eyes away from her girlfriend, but was not at all interested in actually leaving her embrace. Despite her frustration at Ruby  _ and _ her sister, when Weiss looked back at the screen to see Winter and Robyn play-arguing with one another, she felt a smile tint the corners of her face.

For a moment, everything was right with the world. 

* * *

“So, there’s something I wanted to ask about tomorrow,” Weiss said, as their group of four walked across campus later that evening.

“What’s up?” Ruby answered, as the air became just a little bit more tense at the topic.

“We’re still going to Patch this weekend, right?” Weiss asked. 

“If you want to, yeah,” Yang said. “Oh, right - Blake, remind me to fill up Bumblebee before we leave tomorrow?”

“Got it,” Blake said.

“So, if that’s the case,” Weiss continued, “Will your father be joining us? I know that he hasn’t come with before, but he  _ has _ to transform tomorrow night, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Yang admitted. “I’d been so focused on everything else, I didn’t think about Dad...”

Ruby made a contemplative sound - apparently she hadn’t considered it either.

“Can... can Patch actually  _ fit _ five fully-grown werecreatures?” Blake asked. “I know you guys are the only weres around, but...”

“Well, our uncle Qrow would sometimes visit us for a moon back when I still went to Signal,” Yang mused. “And Weiss is still only a pup, so...”

“Hey!” Weiss said, taking offense at the term.

“It’s... kinda true,” Ruby said with a little laugh. “Like, don’t get me wrong, we know you’re the same age as we are and everything, and your were’s probably gonna be around as big as mine, but...”

“But what?” Weiss asked, now confused. None of them had ever called her a ‘pup’ before.

“It means you’re still a cute little puppy, and you don’t eat as much as us big, strong wolves,” Yang said, flexing her arms. There was a teasing smile on her face.

“New werecreatures  _ generally _ don’t stay up and hunting for as much time during a full moon,” Blake said, her tone much more gentle. “Even though you’re old enough, you’re Turned, so your body’s not at all used to your were. Chances are that you’ll probably be asleep a few hours before any of us are tired - at least until you get used to actually maintaining your form for longer periods of time.”

“I thought that the moon did most of the work maintaining the form,” Weiss said.

“That’s true, in a way,” Blake agreed. “The moon will make sure you stay in that form for around ten hours or so - but your body still has to expend the energy to maintain it, and that’ll  _ probably _ tire you out. You’ll likely reach a point where you need to conserve the rest of your energy to stay in your were for that long, so...”

“So I’ll just fall unconscious again?” Weiss asked. Her hand brushed against her right leg, remembering how Ruby’s bite from Turning her had almost immediately knocked her out.

“It’s not really that dramatic,” Blake said. “It’s more likely that around four hours after moonrise, you’ll be too tired to keep your eyes open.”

“Yeah,” Yang agreed. “I wasn’t able to stay awake through the entire moon until I was like thirteen.”

“Oh...” Weiss said. “So... I’ll just fall asleep while you three go out and hunt some more?” She hugged herself a little, feeling subconsciously left out. 

“Hey,” Ruby said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry - I’ll be right beside you the whole time you’re asleep. I promise.”

“Don’t you need to keep hunting, though?” Weiss asked. “To keep your energy up until the moon sets?”

“Nah,” Yang said. “What we usually hunt in the first three hours or so is plenty to get us through the night. Blake and I just go back to our blanket and curl up by like midnight or so, most moons.”

“Oh, okay,” Weiss said, relieved.

Ruby gave her a winning smile before looking to Yang.

“What about Dad, though?” She asked. “I mean... we’ve already been hunting in Patch for a few weeks now - do you think that the five of us in our weres might be too much?”

“Now that I think about it, maybe...” Yang admitted. “We  _ might _ be overhunting at that point.” They’d made it to Weiss and Ruby’s building by now, but they stayed outside, generally out of the earshot of the few students milling about campus so late at night. 

“I hadn’t even thought of that...” Weiss said, mostly to herself. The other three still looked at her, though, and she flinched a little at their full attention. They weren’t accusatory, just curious as to why she’d brought Tai up, if not for that reason. “I... I certainly don’t have anything  _ against _ your father or anything, he’s lovely, I just...” she pushed some hair out of her eyes. “I don’t know if I’d be comfortable with the whole  _ nudity _ thing if he were around. I’d rather keep all of that between the four of us, you know?”

“Oh,” Ruby said, immediately understanding. She took Weiss’ hand and squeezed it. “Don’t worry about it - that makes a lot of sense.”

“Yeah,” Yang said, giving Weiss a nod. “So, I guess there’s two options here.”

“What are they?” Blake asked.

“We could either ask Dad to go a bit out of his way for the moon - maybe he could drive up to hang out with Qrow or something...”

“He lives about two hours north of here,” Ruby clarified for Weiss and Blake.

Weiss didn’t like that option - she certainly didn’t want to make Tai drive for that long just to give her some privacy. The overhunting point was a bit more dire, but still...

“Or,” Yang continued, as if sensing her hesitation, “we could spend it here, at Beacon.”

“Aren’t there other weres at Beacon?” Weiss asked. She figured Velvet would be around, and while  _ she _ wouldn’t exactly be competing with them for prey, she figured that there were more than five total werecreatures amongst Beacon’s student body of roughly ten thousand.

“Yeah,” Yang admitted. “But the woods near campus are  _ way _ bigger than the ones in Patch, and I bet that some Beacon weres go home and spend the moon with their parents or younger siblings.”

“I’ve only seen a few other werecreatures out for the moon,” Blake reassured her. “Besides running into Yang, I’ve seen around two other werewolves, and I think a werefox, but that’s about it - and I’ve spent almost all my moons at Beacon for the past two years.”

“So... what do you think, Weiss?” Ruby asked, her eyes soft with concern. “Whichever you prefer, we’ll do it - we promise.”

“Blake and I can stay at Beacon if you guys wanna go to Patch,” Yang offered. “I’m sure Dad would be happy to go to another part of the woods - at least until you change.”

“No, I - I want you two there,” Weiss said. This immediately earned her a smile from both of them. “I... I feel perfectly safe with just Ruby, but... you two feel like my family, too. I... I want you to be there, if I don’t...” she trailed off, unable to finish that.

“Then we’ll be there,” Blake said, putting a hand on Weiss’ shoulder. Yang quickly did the same on the other side. Weiss looked up to see their faces, but for a tiny moment, she noticed the very tail end on a conversation that Yang and Ruby were having with just their eyes. It was gone almost immediately, and Yang turned back to Weiss. 

“Yeah,” Yang agreed, her lilac eyes almost softer than Weiss had ever seen them. “Of course we will.”

“Do you... do you wanna stay at Beacon, then?” Ruby asked. “Dad can definitely drive up to Qrow’s if he needs to, but...”

“I’ll stay,” Weiss said with a definitive nod. “If you’re confident we won’t run into anybody...”

“We probably won’t,” Blake reassured.

“And if there’s somehow a problem, we’ll have your back,” Ruby added.

“Thank you,” Weiss said, grateful. 

“The only thing that will probably be different is that you might hear a few other wolves singing,” Yang said. She winked. “So make sure you’re ready to show off that voice of yours.”

Weiss blushed, though Ruby once again took her hand and squeezed it. Without a word, she just planted a brief kiss on Weiss’ cheek.

The group split off into pairs, with Yang and Blake walking back to their apartment, and Weiss and Ruby heading up to their room. It was already past ten when Ruby started cooking, but Weiss didn’t mind - she’d started bringing a snack to Oobleck’s class and eating it during the break. 

“So... what was that look that you and Yang had?” Weiss asked. Ruby stopped, her tail immediately freezing stock-still, perpendicular to her body.

“W-what? What look?”

“Ruby,” Weiss admonished, rolling her eyes.  _ She _ may not be great at lying, but Ruby was even worse.

Her girlfriend let out a little sigh, her shoulders slumping an inch or so. She turned to face Weiss, her expression so...  _ muted _ that Weiss almost regretted asking.

“When... when you said that you saw Yang and Blake as family...” Ruby began. She paused, placing a hand on her chin to gather her thoughts.

“Was that... not okay?” Weiss asked, suddenly afraid.

“No!” Ruby said immediately. “No, that’s completely okay - Blake feels like my family too, and you, well... you know how I feel about  _ you.” _ she blushed and smiled. Weiss returned the smile, giving Ruby a nod, encouraging her to continue. She let out a sound, a tiny bit frustrated on how to phrase what it is that was on her mind.

“The... the  _ best _ way I can describe it is that it’s a wolf thing,” Ruby admitted. She sighed, briefly attending to their meal before continuing. Weiss took that opportunity to stand up from her chair and lean against the wall of the kitchen - closer to Ruby, but still out of her way while she cooked.

“How so?” Weiss asked gently.

“It’s... it’s kinda complicated,” Ruby admitted. “And Yang and I haven’t ever really talked about it - plus I dunno how Blake would feel, because she’s not a wolf, but...”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. Ruby never actually  _ saw _ her do this, but she was able to sense Weiss’ reaction just from the general aura of the room.

“Wolves tend to get... close to people. Not in a romantic way, not necessarily - but, well... y’know how I’m kinda...  _ really _ protective? Of you?”

“I suppose...” Weiss said, trailing off. “I... I assumed that that’s because we’re...”

“It is, definitely,” Ruby said. “But that’s not  _ just _ because I love you.” She looked over her shoulder to find Weiss already blushing - hearing Ruby say that was familiar enough to not be surprising, but definitely still new enough to make her chest feel warm. Ruby gave her a soft, contented smile.

“Yang’s that protective of Blake, and of me, and my dad is that protective for  _ both _ of us, because...” Ruby continued. She let out a little growl of frustration at the difficulties she was having with expressing this. “It’s just... for wolves, we take the idea of  _ family _ really seriously - not just our genetic families, but... found families, too.”

“Oh...” Weiss said. “So...  _ did _ I overstep? By saying that Blake and Yang are like family to me?”

“No,” Ruby said, reassuringly. “You were just being honest, right?”

Weiss gave her a nod. It was genuinely true - Weiss saw Yang as almost as much of an older sister as Winter, and Blake was probably her very best friend, after Ruby, who didn’t  _ fully _ count now that she and Weiss were more than friends. Ruby gave her a smile and continued.

“I’d say that you’re starting to see me, Blake, and Yang like  _ family _ this soon because you’re Turned, and while that might be kinda true... I think your feelings probably have a lot to do with it, too.” She shrugged. “Either way... well, people say that humans are social animals, and that feeling basically goes double for werewolves. We tend to make pretty strong relationships pretty quickly.”

“Okay...” Weiss said slowly. “So... what’re you saying?”

Ruby sighed, a little frustrated. She handed Weiss a plate, their meal now ready.

“I... I don’t _know,_ exactly - I think it’s something we should talk about, with the four of us.”  
“What is there to talk about?” Weiss asked, her brows furrowed a little. She wasn’t accusatory towards Ruby, but she was curious - there appeared to be a layer to this that Ruby wasn’t bringing up. “Does it... does it have anything to do with the whole conversation we had about grooming and everything?”

“Kinda?” Ruby said, uncertain. “It’s... it’s different for lots of weres, so...”

Weiss thought momentarily about the only other group of werewolves that she knew - May, Joanna, and Fiona, Winter’s roommates. She’d said that they were all werewolves,  _ and _ they were all dating each other... suddenly, a few dots connected in Weiss’ head, and she asked Ruby a concerned question.

“When... when Blake and Yang said that they ‘aren’t possessive,’ were they talking about... y’know... dating other people? Because if  _ that’s _ what this is, I...”

Ruby’s eyes went wide - she nearly dropped her fork. “What? No! I - Weiss, when I said ‘family,’ I didn’t mean it like  _ that!  _ I mean, there’s  _ nothing _ wrong with polyamory, and I think some wolves definitely are that way, but...” she met Weiss eyes. “Are you asking because you’re...?”

Weiss blinked as she realized what Ruby was implying.

“I - n-no, no. I... I love Blake and Yang, but... I’d rather keep the actual  _ romance _ between just us.”

“Same,” Ruby said, smiling. “I think Yang wondered about being poly in high school -  _ maybe _ she dated two girls? Or she dated a girl who was dating someone else, I don’t remember. Either way, I remember her saying that there weren’t hard feelings, but it wasn’t for her.”

“Okay,” Weiss said, a little relieved. “So, if  _ that’s _ not what it is, then...”

“I... well, it’s sort of just...  _ really _ seeing each other like a family,” Ruby said. “There’s not really anything special about it, I guess, but...” she shook her head. “I... sorry, I’m really not explaining this well. But tomorrow, or... maybe Saturday, let’s talk to Blake and Yang, okay?”

“Okay...” Weiss agreed, still visibly unsure.

“Hey,” Ruby said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not gonna be anything bad, I promise. I think we’re all mostly feeling the same way about this, I just wanna make sure everybody’s on the same page.”

Weiss just nodded, unsure of what to say.

“No matter what, though,” Ruby continued, “I love you - and even if we don’t end up doing anything, like... official, I  _ know _ that Blake and Yang see you as one of their best friends. So... don’t worry about it just yet. Okay?”

“I  _ always _ worry,” Weiss countered, though there was a smile in her eyes. She could tell that there was something Ruby wasn’t fully explaining about this, but she was now certain that Ruby wasn’t withholding anything maliciously. Weiss also figured that it would probably be best to talk about something that clearly involved Blake and Yang while Blake and Yang were actually around. She gave Ruby a smile. “But I see where you’re coming from. And I love you, too.”

Ruby’s eyes softened at that, and she pulled Weiss in for a big hug. They started kissing for a little while, but they were only halfway through their meal, and they eventually agreed to at least finish their dinner before it got cold.

Eventually.   
  


The pair climbed into Ruby’s bed, this time with Weiss as the big spoon. They almost always found themselves in Ruby’s bed, because it was much softer - though they had started using Weiss’ pillow, which had enough space for both of their heads. Weiss wrapped an arm around Ruby’s middle, her chest warming as she felt her girlfriend curl around the appendage. She nuzzled her back up against Weiss’ chest.

“Goodnight, Ruby,” Weiss murmured sleepily as Ruby flicked off her lamp.

Despite the darkness, Weiss could practically  _ feel _ her girlfriend’s snide grin as she whispered back.

“Goodnight, Princess.”

Weiss felt a decidedly  _ different _ area of her body start to get warm.

“Ruby Rose, we were  _ just _ making out for an hour. Don’t you  _ dare _ start teasing me while I’m trying to go to bed.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Ruby laughed. “I was just - just...  _ ohh... _ ”

Ruby trailed off as Weiss’ lips found her neck. Weiss was holding her close enough to actually  _ feel _ the shivers run up Ruby’s spine. She stopped abruptly, smirking as Ruby whined at the sudden withdrawal.

“There,” she said.  _ “Now _ we’re even.”

The pair laughed together and soon drifted off, neither one afraid of what the next evening would bring. 

  
  


* * *

“So...  _ how _ long is this walk, again?” Weiss asked as they passed yet another intersection.

“Aww, c’mon, Ice Queen - it’s only been half an hour since we got off the train!” Yang teased, looking over her shoulder at her. “Blake and I once did this walk with  _ no _ train, at like two in the morning, so I don’t wanna hear you complainin’!

Weiss rolled her eyes. “At least you two were shifted while you came back. When you all said that the woods were ‘near campus,’ I was under the assumption that the trains would get us a little closer.” They’d ridden to the end of the line, which took around forty minutes, and were now  _ still _ walking.

“Nope!” Ruby said, her lips making a slight  _ pop  _ sound on the word. “They don’t really go this far out of the city - at least, not in this direction.”

“I don’t think we’d all fit on Bumblebee, either,” Blake said with a laugh. “Even if there  _ was _ somewhere to park.”

“As if I’d let  _ Weiss _ ride Bumblebee,” Yang said with a scoff.

“Hey!” Weiss said, briefly dropping Ruby’s hand to cross her arms. “What’s so special about that bike that you wouldn’t let me ride it?”

Yang turned, briefly walking backwards to look Weiss dead in the eyes. 

“Have you ever sat on the back of a motorcycle before, with absolutely  _ nothing _ between you and the outside air as you speed down the highway at fifty to seventy miles an hour?”

Weiss blinked.

“I... I can’t say that I have...” she said. 

“Right,” Yang said with a smirk, turning back around. “And I don’t want you shaking like a leaf while you’re holding on to me, because that’d make it harder to concentrate on the road.”

Weiss looked at Blake.

“You can’t possibly put up with this.”

“It’s really not that bad, once you get used to it,” she shrugged. “Besides, Yang got me a helmet for my birthday, and it’s so adorable that I’ll take any chance to wear it.”

Weiss made a curious sound at this, so Blake pulled out her scroll. She flicked through photos for a minute or so before finding the one she wanted to show to Weiss.

It was of her and Yang, embracing one another with Bumblebee in the foreground. Yang’s long blond hair cascaded out of her helmet, yellow with a black visor. In the photo, Blake’s hair was still long enough to poke out of hers, too, which was jet-black. There were two little shapes on top that Weiss couldn’t recognize for a moment, until it clicked.

Cat ears.

Of course.

Weiss rolled her eyes, handing the scroll back.

“Do  _ you _ ever ride it, Ruby?” Weiss asked.

“Sometimes,” she said. She smiled at a memory. “Back when Yang was a freshman at Beacon, she used to come home every other Friday - she’d pick me up at school on her way back, so the other kids would see my badass, college-age sister ride up and let me onto her motorcycle.” She sighed. “I was the coolest junior at Signal.”

Weiss let out a little laugh, taking Ruby’s hand again.

“I didn’t know you went home so often your freshman year, Yang,” Weiss said.

“Eh, I wanted to still spend time with Ruby,” she said. “I didn’t even really start spending my moons at Beacon until my sophomore year - especially once I met Blake.”

Blake let out a little hum at that, playfully bumping her shoulder against Yang’s.

The four of them walked in silence for a little while, each alone with her thoughts. Weiss felt Ruby squeeze her hand for a moment, and she looked up - the side street they’d been following for a while reached a dead end, and beyond it was a  _ massive _ cordon of trees.

“Wow...” Weiss whispered. Perhaps growing up in Atlas had something to do with it, but she’d never seen a forest so big - there was no visible end to the trees on either side of where they were apparently going to enter.

“Yeah,” Ruby said, noticing her amazement. “Told you these woods were huge.”

“It’s about twenty miles long in either direction,” Yang said, pointing to the left and the right. “And there’s another ten miles or so that way -” she pointed directly ahead of them “- until you reach a county road, and then another fifteenish miles after that.”

“I see what you meant about not having to worry about seeing other Beacon students,” Weiss said.

“I dunno if any of them come this way,” Blake said. “This is just the route that Yang and I usually take. It can be tough to stay out of other weres’ business in a city like Vale, but this has worked for us so far.”

“Mm,” Weiss said. “I  _ suppose _ I can’t really complain - Winter told me that her three roommates have to take a car for nearly three hours just to get to some small woods for the moon.”

“Jeez,” Yang said. “I guess it’s tough to be a wolf in Mantle.”

“It’s not all bad,” Weiss shrugged. “Apparently May technically owns the land, inherited from her family - she has a private little cabin up there.”

“That sounds lovely, honestly,” Blake said. “The nicest thing about visiting my parents in Menagerie is how close they are to the woods. I can just shift and go for a run for an hour or two and still be back before dinner.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed.

She briefly wondered at a concept like that - she’d always grown up in cities, even though the Schnee manor was private enough that it might as well be its own suburb. The constant hustle and bustle of Atlas had always been a bit much for her, but she was rather happy with Vale. However, the peace and quiet of a more rural area, perhaps one even more rural than Patch, was intriguing. She wasn’t looking to leave the cities for good, but if she had somewhere to private to stay for at least a little while, spending maybe a weekend or two each month surrounded by quiet...

Weiss indulged herself a bit more with the fantasy. She imagined waking up in a smallish log cabin, coming downstairs (or even down the ladder from an attic! How romantic!) to find Ruby already awake, making pancakes in the kitchen. Fantasy-Ruby smiled at Weiss’ approach, her hair still messy from sleep. She flipped a pancake on her griddle before embracing Weiss in her muscular arms, kissing her between her wolf ears. Fantasy-Ruby wore nothing besides an oversized t-shirt, and Weiss’ hands quickly found their way underneath that...

“Weiss?” Normal Ruby asked. Weiss blinked, momentarily disappointed to see that this version of Ruby was fully clothed, and without any pancakes. She shook her head and quickly remembered where she was.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m just a little scatterbrained right now, I guess.”

“That’s okay,” Ruby said with a smile. “C’mon, we’re almost there.”

They caught up to Blake and Yang in a little clearing - these woods were far denser than those of Patch, but Weiss tried not to be too intimidated by it. If anything, that just meant that they were more private, something that she very much appreciated.

They all set their things down - Weiss hadn’t really brought much besides her scroll, wallet, and a few snacks. Ruby had brought her whole backpack, which also carried Weiss’ spare clothes. Blake started spreading out a decently-sized picnic blanket, not unlike the one that Ruby and Yang had used in Patch.

“Sorry that this clearing’s so far away,” Blake said. “We used to go to a more open area, with just a few trees, before...”

“Before Adam found us there,” Yang said simply. 

“Oh...” Weiss said quietly. “That... that makes sense.”

“Yeah...” Ruby said. She let out a weak little chuckle. “Wow, we jumped right into the heavy stuff, huh?”

“Oh,” Blake said, putting a hand on the back of her neck in embarrassment. Weiss noticed that she’d let her ears out. “Y-yeah, I guess we did. Sorry...”

“It’s all right,” Weiss said, sitting down beside her. She let her own ears and tail out, and began to unzip her boots. “While we’re already there, I’d like to ask...” she took a breath. “How long do I have?”

“Around forty-five minutes,” Ruby said, sitting directly across from Weiss. She took both of her hands in her own. “We’ll be right here with you, every second.” She brought Weiss’ hands together, and then leaned down to kiss her knuckles. “I promise.”

Weiss gave her a nod. She took out her scroll and set a timer for thirty-five minutes - when it went off, she knew she’d have to get ready to change. Ruby just nodded at this, and they all spread out a little to make space for Yang, once she sat down. The four girls brought themselves to various states of undress for their comfort - their shoes were all tossed into a pile at the base of a thick tree. Blake and Ruby both took off their shirts, but put their unzipped jackets back on for the mid-October chill. Weiss removed her fashionable belted skirt to sit more comfortably, but she had tights on underneath. Yang took off the yellow watch that she occasionally wore, carefully putting it in the side pocket of her bag.

“So,” Weiss asked, a little nervous. “Anybody know a good way to pass the time?”

* * *

“How’d you guys find out you were into girls?” Blake asked.

Apparently, their best idea for passing the time had been to lie on their backs and stare up at the little gap in the treeline just above them, telling stories. When they’d started, the last oranges and yellows had begun to fade from the sky, but now they could only see stars.

“I met this girl in, like... seventh grade, I think?” Ruby began. “Her name was Penny - she was a redhead with these beautiful green eyes. She didn’t really have a lot of friends in school, and neither did I, so... we got along pretty well. I just thought she was really cute, and I didn’t know why I wanted to hang out  _ alone _ with her so much - not at first, anyways. I wanted to try kissing her on the cheek or something one day, but...” she laughed. “I promised myself I’d do it like every day for two months, but I always chickened out.”

“What happened to her?” Weiss asked softly.

“She moved away right before high school,” Ruby said, melancholy. “I actually think she ended up going to Atlas. I never managed to get her number or anything, so...”

“Mm...” Weiss hummed.

“I had repressed gay feelings for a while in the White Fang,” Blake said. “Being with Adam kinda made me not think about it that much, and I’d seen a  _ lot _ of women naked and it was never a big deal, so... I didn’t  _ really _ ask myself about it until I met Yang. I thought that because I’d been with a guy before, I wouldn’t really like girls that way, but...” she shrugged. “Turns out I’m super bi.”

They all laughed at that.

“I’ve been with guys before too, but I am most assuredly a lesbian,” Weiss said. Ruby gasped.

“Wait, Weiss, you’ve dated boys before?” she asked. “I thought this was your first relationship.” She wasn’t critical or anything - Weiss had just never brought it up.

“Oh, trust me, the combination of crushing heteronormativity and my desperate desire to please my homophobic father gave me a  _ few _ boyfriends over the years,” she said with a laugh. “None of them ever lasted very long, though - they were all the sons of big corporate executives or what-have-you. I always thought I was being turned off by their ugly personalities, which I suppose I was, in a sense, but... I guess the  _ bigger _ problem was that they weren’t girls.”

Blake snorted at that, and Ruby let out a little giggle.

“As for when I knew I liked girls, well...” she smiled, a little melancholy. “There was this intensive fencing program that I did one summer between terms of boarding school - it was  _ so _ prestigious,” she let her voice get a little pompous, sliding into the tone she used to impersonate her father, “that people from all over the world came to participate. It was the ‘top womens’ youth fencing program in the world,’ or... something.” She shrugged, returning to her normal voice. “It was held in Atlas, but I met this girl from a city in Anima - it’s called Argus.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it,” Blake said.

“Mm,” Weiss hummed. “Well, on the first day of the program, we were told to partner up, and I ended up partnering with this girl. She was  _ gorgeous _ \- six feet tall, really long hair that was dyed firetruck red, she was the strongest woman I’d  _ ever  _ seen... my poor baby lesbian heart didn’t stand a chance.” she laughed. “She’s actually the girl who gave me the scar on my eye. We were just messing around, without our protective gear...”

“Oh, so  _ that’s _ the gorgeous fencing partner we heard about,” Ruby said with a smile. Weiss looked over to her, a little concerned, but was relieved to see no jealousy behind Ruby’s eyes.

“Yes,” Weiss said. “Her name is Pyrhha Nikos - I think I might still have her scroll number, somewhere. We haven’t really spoken in years, but she was so good that she might have gone to the Olympics or something.”

“Jeez, good for her,” Yang said, sincerely impressed. Weiss also detected a little bit of thoughtfulness in her voice.

“How about you, Yang?” Weiss asked. “Who was  _ your _ first girl crush?”

The air seemed to still for a moment, as Blake and Ruby each sucked in a breath. Weiss blinked in confusion, but Yang spoke up.  
“I dunno,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t think my answer really counts.”

“Yang, of course it counts,” Ruby said instantly, propping herself up on her elbow to get a better view of her sister. “That is... if you feel comfortable sharing...”

Yang shrugged a little. “Yeah, I’m okay. Might as well let the Ice Queen know tonight, if nothing else.”

Weiss sat up in confusion. “Let me know about what?”

Yang sat up as well, and Blake immediately followed, taking her hand. She gave Yang a look, as if confirming that she was sure, but Yang’s emotionally tired nod was apparently an affirmative reply.

“I’m a transgender woman,” Yang said. “So, to answer your question, I  _ always _ knew I liked girls - I just didn’t know I  _ was _ a girl until I was like fourteen.”

“Oh,” Weiss said, surprised by Yang’s candor in the moment. “I... thank you very much, for sharing.”

“Yeah,” Yang said. “I honestly figured that you would know by now - like, you’ve seen my scars...”

“Your what?” Weiss asked, genuinely clueless as to what she was talking about.

“My scars, from surgery,” Yang repeated. She stood up, unbuttoning her pants. She spent a moment taking them down, but when she looked at Weiss, she was shielding her eyes.

“It’s okay,” Yang said, laughing weakly. “I’ve still got my underwear on. You can look.”

Tepidly, Weiss’ hand lowered from her eyes, and she saw two tiny white scars, paper-thin, that curved down into Yang’s underwear.

“Normally, a gal like me wouldn’t have scars like this - they’d have healed by now,” she said. “But, because I’m a wolf, the surgeon had to use a silver scalpel.”

“Oh...” Weiss said. “Did it... hurt?”

“Weiss, I was still under anesthesia for the surgery,” Yang said with a laugh, letting her shirt fall back down over the front of her waistband. “I mean, yeah, they had to use so much that it’d kill like six humans, but still...”

“Ah,” Weiss replied, chuckling at her own foolishness. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Yang said with a laugh. “I recovered pretty quickly, because... y’know. Super-healing. These days, the only annoying part is dilating.”

Weiss vaguely remembered reading about that when she’d done some cursory internet research on transgender people. She figured, both based on what she remembered from that research, and from Yang’s uncharacteristic quiet at the entire topic, that she shouldn’t ask much more about that activity in particular.

“Thank you, again,” Weiss said, meeting Yang’s lilac eyes. “For sharing.”

“No prob,” Yang said with a shrug, sitting back down next to Blake. “I, uh... it’s not my favorite thing to talk about, so...”

Weiss just silently nodded, understanding.

No one said anything for a few moments, until the alarm on Weiss’ scroll went off, gently breaking their contemplative silence.

“That’s... that’s ten minutes...” Weiss said, the reality of the situation suddenly crashing down upon her. Ruby’s arms were immediately around her waist, and she just closed her eyes, leaning into the contact. She let Ruby just hold her for a minute, trying to control her breathing. 

“Okay,” she finally said, feeling Ruby’s grip loosen a little bit in response. “It’s okay, I’m okay.”

Ruby just gave her a solemn nod, briefly standing up to take her clothes off and hand them to Yang.

Weiss found her scroll, stopping the timer. She sent a quick “I love you” text to Winter, closing the application before her sister could reply. Anything Winter said would only make her more anxious. She peeled off her shirt, letting it fall in a pile beside her. Blake gently took it, wordlessly bringing it to Yang.

“Hey,” Ruby said, sitting down in front of Weiss. “You’re gonna be okay. I  _ know _ it.”

Weiss closed her eyes and just nodded, unable to speak.

“Do you want me to put your scroll in your bag?”

Weiss nodded again, feeling the air shift in front of her as Ruby stood up to do just that. She silently cursed herself for relying on the three of them for such menial things, but in her heart she already knew that none of them minded.

Ruby sat back down before her. Weiss felt Ruby’s hands cup her cheeks. 

“Hey,” she said again, her voice cracking a little this time. “Can you look at me for a sec?”

Weiss opened her eyes to find Ruby’s face right in front of her own, those tender silver orbs softening even further once they met Weiss’ blue ones.

“How’re you feeling?” Ruby asked, her voice impossibly soft, her smile merely a ghost on her face.

“I... I’m okay...” Weiss said, her voice wavering.

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked, gentle. “It’s okay if you’re not okay.”

Weiss exhaled.

“I’m not okay,” she admitted quietly. Ruby simply nodded once, expecting this answer.

“What do you need right now?” she asked.

“I... I don’t know,” Weiss said. Ruby had never heard so much raw  _ fear _ in her voice before. The sound alone threatened to shatter her heart, but she  _ refused _ to allow herself to break - not when Weiss needed her. 

“Can I hold you?” Ruby asked. Weiss nodded vigorously, and was immediately pulled into Ruby’s arms. Weiss sobbed gently into Ruby’s embrace - she didn’t even know when the tears had started. Ruby took it all in stride, whispering soft nothings into the night air, rocking her back and forth. Her fingers gently ran through Weiss’ hair and down her back, the touches feather-light.

She had no idea how long they stayed like that. It was somewhere between ten seconds and a thousand years. However, just as her tears began to slow, she felt an odd feeling in her chest - a sort of pull, as if some external force in the universe were taking gentle hold of her soul.

“Guys,” Yang said, her voice soft but worried, “it’s almost time.”

Weiss looked up and over her shoulder at the source of the voice to find Blake and Yang standing behind them, their feet rooted to the earth. They just held hands, stock-still. Blake looked as though she was in a trance, completely absorbed in watching Weiss and Ruby hold one another, as if she were trying to perfectly memorize the image.

“Right,” Weiss said, briefly managing to tear herself away from Ruby to dry her tears on the back of her hand. “Right. I should... I should probably finish getting changed...” She sat back, awkwardly removing the rest of her clothing. The three of them still watched, but there was  _ nothing _ sexual about the moment. Weiss felt nothing under their gaze - the atmosphere was far too emotionally-charged for anyone to care about seeing what they’d already seen before. 

Weiss’ tights ended up in a pile beside her, along with her underwear. Yang scooped them up in her arms, waiting for Weiss’ bra before she went to put them in the bag. She struggled with her clasp for a moment - her fingers were buzzing with energy and weren’t obeying her to the degree she wanted.

Ruby leaned forwards, gently wrapping her arms around Weiss’ ribcage. 

“May I?” She asked softly. Weiss nodded, and Ruby undid the clasp, pulling the garment around Weiss’ back and off her shoulders as if she were made of glass. One light underhand toss brought it to Blake’s waiting hands, as she and Yang went to put it in the bag with the rest of their clothes.

“Ready?” Ruby asked, her voice barely above a whisper now. Weiss nodded again, and Ruby gently took Weiss’ hands in her own, pulling her to her feet. She leaned on Ruby just a little bit, and they felt Blake and Yang come up on either side of them, making a group hug.

“Okay, Weiss,” Blake said, her voice mostly steady. “Remember what we talked about. Let the change happen - don’t try to force it, but don’t pull against it, either. Just actively follow the progress in your head, taking stock of everything that happens. Make yourself  _ accept _ each piece of it.” She gave a soft smile. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

“We’re heading that way to start our hunt,” Yang said. Weiss didn’t even see her pointing. The tone in Yang’s voice was confident, but there was a hint of fragility. Weiss could tell she was mostly giving the information out to assure herself that Weiss absolutely needed it.

“Blake... Yang...” Weiss said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Thank you both, so much - for  _ everything. _ I... I couldn’t have better friends.”

“And we’re not going anywhere,” Yang said, the area around her eyes a little red and puffy.

“I know,” Weiss said, hoping that she was right.

“We’re  _ all _ gonna be right here,” Blake said.

“We can resist the moon until you’re done changing,” Ruby said. “So we’re gonna stay here, and we’re not letting you go.”

Weiss looked up at each of them in turn, meeting their tear-filled eyes with her own. She first looked to Blake, her smile so gentle and reassuring, and yet so sad. Yang’s ears were flattened against her head in worry, but her eyes were hard and determined, as if she were  _ demanding _ the universe to make sure that Weiss would be okay.

Ruby’s face was soft, just looking at her. She’d seen that look a thousand times by now. It was the soft, gentle, affectionate smile that Ruby gave Weiss whenever they talked about something, or even about nothing. Ruby gave Weiss that look along with her dinner each evening. As of recently, Ruby had begun giving her that look and a kiss on the forehead every morning. There was truly only one word to describe it.

Love. Ruby Rose’s eyes were full of love.

The pull in Weiss’ chest grew stronger, spreading out to her torso and down her arms. Her heart began to race. She knew she had only a few moments before the moon began to change her. Whether that change would last all night or for only a few moments was about to be seen.

“Ruby...” Weiss managed, the energy spreading through her body making it difficult to speak. “I... I lov...e... y...”

“I know,” Ruby said, gently stopping her. “I know. And I love you too.” 

Her voice cracked on the last word, and tears streamed down her face as she pressed her forehead against Weiss’. By now, the energy had filled up her entire body. They both closed their eyes, and Weiss finally felt the moon begin to change her. 

It started with her hands - they grew, overtaking Ruby’s in terms of size. Her white fur began to coat them, as her fingernails extended into claws. The change shot up her arms, her heart  _ pounding _ in her ears - Blake’s advice leapt into her head, and Weiss exhaled, feeling her arms get at least a foot longer, also covering themselves in white. The earth began to fall away from her as her legs grew, making her taller. Her shoulders rippled and expanded as the change in her torso met up with the one in her legs, collapsing into one another and lengthening her tail. That same power raced up her back, the wolf threatening to burst out from her skin. She clenched her eyes and  _ forced _ her body to comply. It was almost like Weiss was a glass container, the werewolf inside her growing so quickly that it threatened to break free from the glass. Weiss felt her hair disappear as her neck grew larger and thicker, until finally, her nose and jaw extended, filling with wickedly sharp teeth.

Ruby felt Weiss leave her embrace as the changes took her, but she kept her eyes closed, unable to watch. Yang and Blake just pressed the smaller girl between them, as if protecting her from the event right before her.

For a tiny instant, the forest was still. Weiss made no sound, and Ruby suddenly felt an infinite nothingness in the space where her heart should be.

“Is... is that it?” Ruby asked, her voice so tiny that it was barely audible. “Is she...”

As if to answer, a long, warm tongue ran its way up her chin, across her lips and nose, over her tightly shut eyelids, and all the way to her forehead.

Ruby’s eyes snapped open.  _ “Weiss?” _

Sure enough, the enormous white-furred lycanthrope stood before her, her crystal-blue eyes shining in the darkness with a pure, radiant joy. She stood just over seven feet tall, her shoulders slightly hunched forward, her snout pointed down towards the relatively tiny girl.

_ “YOU DID IT!” _ Ruby shouted, her elation reaching all the way up to the moon and the stars. Blake and Yang’s embrace was totally forgotten as she leapt into her girlfriend’s arms, Weiss easily catching her and spinning her around in a full circle before giving her face several more happy licks. Ruby let out a breathless giggle as she wrapped her arms around the giant werewolf’s neck, pressing her forehead into Weiss’.

“You did it,” She repeated, her voice softer. “You made it through your first change into your were. I’m  _ so _ proud of you, Weiss.” She rubbed her cheek up against Weiss’ head, and the wolf let out a low, pleased rumble before gently setting Ruby down. “Be right back,” she said, running towards the tree.

Ruby returned nearly five seconds later, scroll in her hands. “Smile!” She said, snapping a quick photo of Weiss. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, and she sent the picture along with a quick, all-caps  _ SHE DID IT! _ to her father, and then to Winter, whose number she now had for precisely this reason.

Blake and Yang, now a massive yellow wolf and a tall, wiry panther, stood on either side of Weiss. Each wrapped the giant werecreature into a hug, offering her their congratulations. Weiss nearly squeezed the breath out of them both.

Finally, the trio turned to Ruby, watching the relatively tiny girl put her scroll back in her bag for safekeeping. Weiss cocked her head momentarily, a silent invitation.

“Yeah,” Ruby said with a smile. “I’ll be right there, I just...” she ran forwards, wrapping her arms around Weiss’ torso. The white wolf hugged her back with one massive arm, the other very delicately patting Ruby’s head. She looked up at Weiss, her smile a thousand times brighter than the light of the moon.

“I love you  _ so _ much,” Ruby said. She stepped back, closed her eyes, and at last gave into the change herself, letting the moon finally take her.

Soon, the brown and red werewolf met Weiss’ eyes once more, the two now at approximately equal height. Their foreheads pressed together again, their ears mingling due to their position on this form. When they pulled apart, Ruby gave her girlfriend a long look, and a tender lick on the nose. She dropped down to all fours, and Weiss turned to see her, Blake, and Yang, all ready to run, but looking back at Weiss.

_ Well? What’re you waiting for? _

Weiss placed her front paws on the ground, and the three of them faced forwards, charging off into the treeline. Weiss immediately followed her family, her heart bursting with an overwhelming sense of joy, and long-awaited peace. She felt the wind in her fur, the absurd strength in her new form as her paws struck the earth, as her shoulders and hips perfectly rotated in time to maintain her full-speed gallop. As they ran, Yang let out a proud, piercing howl, as if to challenge the heavens themselves. Ruby’s voice came a moment later, her adorable yips and yelps filling the air. Weiss threw her head back triumphantly to join them, her song manifesting from her very soul itself. The noise faded, and she ran up alongside Ruby, ready to hunt with them.

Weiss had never felt so free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so very much for reading! I'd been waiting to tell this part of their story for quite a while.  
> As mentioned above, thank you so much for 750 kudos - the bonus chapter, as voted by 99 of you, is One Chapter with a little bit of each of the four topics - so Weiss being Blake's makeup model, a Snowbyrd/HH lazy Sunday, Bumblebee's spring break in Menagerie, and Ruby and Yang's high school days will all appear as a short vignette in this single bonus chapter overall!
> 
> As always, I sincerely hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -Red


	23. The Next Morning

Weiss was chilly.

She shivered as a cold breeze kissed her bare shoulders, pressing her face down a bit further into the warmth she was lying on. Her only protection from the cruel wind was a thin stretch of... _something..._ over her torso, and an even thinner, fuzzier _something_ covering the backs of her knees.

Weiss shivered again - the next breeze was even _colder._ She defiantly pressed even further into the warm surface she was lying on, refusing to abandon the comfort of her position just because the elements were so insistent on being rude.

Abruptly, something slapped into the side of her ribcage, stuck there by its coating of morning dew. 

Weiss made an insulted sound, only picking her head up enough to locate the offending object. One eye creaked open to find a wide orange leaf stuck to her side, blown there by the wind. Disgusted by the leaf’s audacity to pull her out of her slumber, she grabbed it by the stem and tossed it up into the air, settling back down into her warmth.

However, now that she’d reluctantly pulled herself slightly more towards wakefulness, the cold was too pertinent to ignore. Sighing, Weiss picked her head up again, looking from one side to the other. 

Her half-open eyes widened momentarily as she found what she was searching for - a pile of red and pink checkered blanket, which must have flown off of her from the wind. She reached out to it with her left hand, feeling her elbow brush against something soft. She ignored the sensation, focused entirely on pulling the blanket back across her shoulders so that she could sleep.

“Mmh,” someone protested, pulling back.

Weiss, having none of that, immediately _yanked_ the blanket towards her, lazily tossing it across her back. Her tail, which had been sticking up a little, now curled back down to her right side. The warm _something_ amidst her legs flicked around them for a moment, but it soon settled when it found itself under the blanket once more. Her lazy, behind-the-back toss hadn’t exactly lined it up very well, but somehow the blanket shifted on its own to properly spread itself back out. 

Satisfied, Weiss plopped her head back down onto her rounded pillows, ready to return to her slumber.

To her frustration, she felt the blanket sliding itself away, again returning to her left side. Weiss wasn’t really in the proper position to grab it, but fortunately, it was stopped all on its own.

“Blake,” came a murmur from beneath her. “Stop hogging the blanket.”

“Sorry,” a scratchy morning voice replied. The warm _something_ among Weiss’ legs curled itself around one of her calves.

“S’okay,” the first speaker said. She let out a happy hum, and Weiss also felt the appendage around her torso pull in a little closer. Weiss sighed, pulling her arms up to make a pillow out of her hands, her elbows sticking out a little. When she settled, something soft, like hair, tickled the skin of her right bicep, and then her left.

Blearily, Weiss blinked the sleep from her eyes, trying to observe what was brushing up against her.

To her right was a dark mop of hair, adorable and spiky. _Ruby,_ Weiss thought, her girlfriend’s mere presence enough comfort to bring her halfway back to slumber. Ruby slept on her right side, facing Weiss - her left arm was thrown across Weiss’ back, her red-tipped wolf ears gently shifting up and down to the rhythm of her breath.

On her left was a fluffy mass of similarly dark hair, with a triangular pair of black ears just barely poking out from it, faced away from her. _Blake,_ Weiss recognized. Her back was pressed up against Weiss’ side, another source of warmth underneath the blanket. Weiss blinked, lifting the top half of her torso enough to get a good look at the warm mass that she was laying on.

Yang Xiao Long’s mane of blond hair splayed about amongst the grass beneath her, her face serene as she laid on her back, breathing through her mouth. Her non-injured ear rose and fell in time with it, just like Ruby’s. Her bare, muscular shoulders trailed out from her chest, down on either side of her - one pressed along Ruby’s curved back, snuggling her younger sister into her torso. Ruby’s human ear was balanced somewhat precariously on Yang’s inner shoulder, using it and her own right hand as a sort of pillow. Yang’s other arm was decisively captured by Blake, who had wrapped both of her arms around it, nuzzling her cheek into Yang’s bicep. Given that she faced _away_ from Weiss, it became apparent that the small, furry something that mingled with Weiss’ legs was actually Blake’s tail.

Weiss finally took stock of her _own_ position, lying flat on her chest. She dimly realized that she was doing so _on top_ of Yang, their legs lazily entwined. She looked straight down, wondering about the soft, round pillows that she’d buried her face in, only to discover that they were Yang’s soft, perky, _completely_ naked breasts.

Weiss rubbed her eyes, refusing to believe them. However, once her vision cleared, the world was relatively unchanged. In her slumber, Yang was holding Blake on one side, Ruby on the other, and Weiss was resting squarely on top of her. Ruby had an arm across Weiss’ lower back, their foreheads almost touching, and Blake’s soft tail was gently curled around one of her legs.

Weiss blinked again, realizing now with absolute certainty, that all four of them were bare as the day they’d been born.

Suddenly, Yang’s warm skin was like a fire underneath her, Blake’s soft tail a poisonous snake amongst her legs. Weiss yelped with a start, doing a sort of push-up to throw herself off of Yang, stumbling backwards for a moment before falling squarely on her butt, the blanket now settling around her shoulders.

A small chorus of confused and surprised noises fell out of the mouths of the other three girls. They all began to grumble, the sounds containing roughly equal amounts of tiredness, reluctance, shock, and annoyance. Blake and Ruby curled farther into Yang now that the warm blanket had been so abruptly taken away. Yang pushed herself up to a sitting position with one arm, rubbing her eyes with the other.

“Weiss, come back to sleep,” she mumbled tiredly, her lilac eyes adjusting to the not-quite-yet-sunrise light that filtered in from the eastern horizon. Ruby and Blake had now propped themselves up as well, a few stray blades of grass sticking to their bare shoulders.

“Yeah, what was that for?” Blake asked sleepily, brushing sand out from the inside corners of her eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Ruby asked, her words just a little bit slurred with the haze of slumber.

Weiss just stared at them, not sure of what to say, hoping that they’d get it once their brains finally caught up with their bodies.

Ruby was first - her lazy, fluid motions stopping dead in their tracks as she realized what was going on. 

“Oh,” she murmured quietly.

“Yeah!” Weiss replied, her voice louder and angrier than she’d expected. All three girls flinched at the sound, their ultra-sensitive ears relaying the sudden noise to their tired brains. “Yeah, Ruby! _‘Oh!’”_

“Weiss,” Yang said, now fully sitting up, her shoulders hunched forwards a bit. She blinked a little more, putting a palm up to her forehead before brushing her slightly tangled blond hair out of her eyes. “What is it? Why’re you yelling?”

“It’s _early,”_ Blake complained, falling sideways into Yang’s lap. When she landed, Yang’s left hand scratched idly at her ears.

Weiss pulled the blanket tighter around herself, wearing it like armor. “What do you _mean_ ‘what is it?’ What the hell _was_ all of that, just now?”

“Weiss... what’re you talking about?” Yang asked, genuine confusion on her face. _“You’re_ the one who woke us up.”

“I... think I get it...” Ruby said, her voice soft. She was a bit more of a morning person than the other two, and seemed to now mostly have her wits about her. She turned her head over to Yang. “We’re... we’re all naked.”

Yang blinked, processing this information as if it was the first she’d heard of it. She stopped scratching at Blake’s ears, which earned a frown from the girl on her lap.

“So?” Yang asked - genuinely confused, but also certainly annoyed. Weiss exhaled a frustrated breath.

 _“So...”_ Weiss said, “We were all _sleeping_ like that! In a big pile, all _touching_ each other, and just... _completely...”_ She trailed off, bewildered at what it was that Yang wasn’t understanding. She and Ruby were _dating_ \- they were _in love!_ \- and Weiss hadn’t slept naked with _her_ yet. Why would she want to do that with Ruby _and_ two other people?

Blake gave her a look - she was clearly sympathetic to Weiss’ anger, but also seemed to have no idea where it was coming from.

“We always snuggle up,” Yang said, as if it were obvious. She scratched at the upright ear on her head, yawning along with Blake. “Like last weekend, and the weekend before. It’s not really that big a deal.”

“But - I...” Weiss said, struggling to find the words. “It’s _different_ this time, Yang. We changed _back._ It’s one thing when we’re all shifted, but... when we’re like _this,_ I...” She wondered briefly as to why they’d changed back during the night - she’d woken up in her wolf the previous times that the four of them had slept in a big cuddle pile, so why were they back to their human forms now?

 _The moon,_ she realized. It wasn’t _just_ that she’d been in her were this time - like Blake had said, the moon was maintaining their forms for them. When morning came, it must have stopped, changing them back while they slept. Just like the supermoon had for Ruby on the very first night they’d met...

“Here,” Ruby said, coming towards her. She sat in-between the two groups. “I think now’s as good a time as any to have that talk I mentioned.” She met Weiss’ eyes, then Yang’s and Blake’s. “About werewolf family stuff?”

“Oh,” Yang said, her eyes softening as she caught Ruby’s meaning. “Right, I keep forgetting Weiss is Turned, she wouldn’t...”

“Yeah,” Ruby said, grateful for her understanding.

“‘Werewolf family stuff?’” Blake parroted, evidently just as confused as Weiss.

“Mhm,” Yang hummed, wrapping an arm around Blake’s shoulders and kissing her forehead. “Lemme grab us some clothes and we’ll talk about it, okay?” Blake nodded warily.

“I’ll get your shirt, Weiss,” Ruby said, standing up. “Can you and Blake spread the blanket out so we can sit on it?”

Weiss blinked at the sudden change in Yang’s demeanor, but she made a soft affirmative sound. Ruby gave her a smile, standing up and turning towards the tree. Yang was right behind her, the two sisters’ tails moving back and forth with their steps.

Blake’s golden eyes met Weiss’ blue ones. 

“Do _you_ know what they’re talking about?” She asked.

“No,” Weiss said. “Ruby and I _kinda_ talked about ‘family stuff’ on Thursday, but she was really vague. I honestly thought _you_ would know, since you know so much about werecreatures...”

Blake shook her head. “Must be a wolf thing.”

Weiss just let out a thoughtful hum, slowly remembering the blanket. She gently unwrapped herself, trying to preserve her modesty (though she only put in a half-effort - she was still tired, and Blake had seen it all before) and handed over one end it. The two of them spread it out flat, sitting on opposite ends. Blake sat on her hip, crossing her arms to stave off the cold. Weiss hugged her knees to her chest, ears folded down to her head, her tail anxiously flicking back and forth. She was somewhere between regretting her outburst and being confused as to why everyone was so relatively unfazed about it.

“Hey,” Ruby said, her warm voice pulling Weiss out of her thoughts. She’d thrown on a long grey t-shirt and a pair of underwear. She was holding Weiss’ clean shirt and boyshorts in one hand, and her own red fleece hoodie in the other. 

Weiss pinked at the concept of her girlfriend handing her a pair of her own underwear, but she took the offered clothing without a word. Ruby sat down on the blanket to her right, equidistant from her and from Blake. Once Weiss was finished changing (Ruby’s hoodie was _so warm_ ), she looked up to see Blake dressed in one of Yang’s sleeveless yellow tank tops, with her own black motorcycle jacket draped over her shoulders. Yang herself had thrown on some blue jeans, a black sports bra, and her brown bomber jacket, still unzipped.

“Okay,” Ruby said, breaking their contemplative silence. “Now that the four of us have a minute, and that Weiss has made it through her first moon...” Ruby took a moment to smile at that, her voice a bit warmer, before she continued. “Yang and I have... uh... a _thing_ to talk to you both about. Er... well... it’s something that I guess the four of us should _all_ talk about, together...”

Weiss cocked her head in confusion. Her eyes briefly flicked over to Blake to see her in a similar state.

“Go on, Rubes,” Yang encouraged. “It’s okay - it’s just Weiss and Blake.”

“Right,” Ruby said, calming her nerves. She opened her mouth, and then closed it, having said nothing. She looked over at Blake, as if she were a lifeline.

Blake blinked, now a little afraid at whatever it is they were apparently talking about. Weiss felt a similar fear encroaching at the tips of her confusion.

“Blake,” Ruby said. “In the White Fang, how much did you hear about werewolves and their families?”

Blake’s eyebrows furrowed at the question. “Not much,” she admitted, scratching at the back of her head. “There weren’t too many wolves in the White Fang, and they were usually pretty spread out. I figure they had parents or siblings, and sometimes I’d run into a pair who were dating. Why?”

“There’s sort of a special... _layer,_ to the concept of family, for werewolves,” Yang said. They both looked over to her. To Blake, she asked, “Have you ever heard a wolf talk about the other members of their Pack?”

Weiss blinked, able to _hear_ the capital ‘P’ in the word.

Blake seemed to wrack her brain, trying to remember. “Uh... once or twice? I assumed it was just another word for their family or whatever - like how you guys called Weiss a ‘pup,’ or how my mom and dad used to call me their ‘cub’ when I was little.”

“That’s... part of it,” Ruby said. She eyed Yang, getting a nod. She sighed. “For wolves, our Pack _is_ our family, in every sense of the word. The bonds between us don’t _need_ to be sibling bonds, like me and Yang, or even romantic ones, like with me and Weiss - sometimes, a member of your Pack is just an extremely close friend, so close that ‘friend’ doesn’t really feel like a strong enough word.”

“So... what _exactly_ does this have to do with the way that we woke up this morning?” Weiss asked. She didn’t intend for her words to sound so accusatory, but she didn’t necessarily regret them either.

“Well, it seems like the four of us are mostly gonna be spending our moons together,” Ruby said. “And for wolves, you _usually_ do that with your Pack - essentially, it’s the group of people that you feel generally comfortable waking up with... like that...”

Weiss tilted her head at that, pondering it.

“Just because we’re weres doesn’t mean that we’re exactly keen on waking up in a naked cuddle pile with just _anybody,”_ Yang continued. She met Weiss’ eyes for a moment, her face surprisingly sympathetic. “Also, I’m sorry for, I guess... minimizing... why you were upset.”

Weiss wordlessly blinked in surprise.

“For us,” Blake explained, “There really isn’t much of a difference between how comfortable we are with physical intimacy in different forms. The way we see it, it’s the same person, so... why treat them differently?”

Yang nodded. “We’re _generally_ a bit more used to snuggling up with naked people that we aren’t dating after the moon, too, but...” Subconsciously, Weiss’ hand brushed along the raised scar on her leg. Yang noticed the action, her eyes softening. “We forget it’s different for you. Sorry.”

“I... thank you, I suppose, I just...” Weiss trailed off, having nowhere to go with that sentence. “But... okay. So, the word you have for the people that you _are_ comfortable doing that with - that’s your Pack?”

“Usually,” Ruby said. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s not something that we, like... _have_ to do or anything, it’s just... if you guys want...”

Weiss’ brows furrowed. “I’m just... not quite sure how I feel.”

“About what part of it?” Yang asked. “The nakedness part?

“Well, yeah...” Weiss said. She curled in on herself just a little. “I... I’m sorry for yelling, but... I was pretty... _surprised..._ by the way that we all woke up.”

They were all looking right at her now. Weiss crossed her arms, even more self-conscious, even though their looks were concerned, not accusatory.

“I just... was that... was that really _normal,_ for all of you?”

Weiss watched the triangle of eye contact between the three of them.

“I mean... yeah,” Yang said.

“Pretty standard for a full moon,” Ruby added.

“I’ve never really known anything different,” Blake said.

Ruby met her eyes.

“Are _you_ uncomfortable with it?” She asked. There was no malice behind the question - it was clear from her delivery that Weiss was free to say ‘yes.’

“I... I don’t know,” Weiss admitted. “I know it’s different, because I didn’t grow up with this stuff.” Her hand brushed over her scar again. “I _guess_ I got used to changing rooms and things with other girls - especially with fencing. My main gym was so old it still had those communal showers, but...” she shook her head. “I guess I just... _really_ wasn’t expecting it.”

“It’s... it’s okay if you’re uncomfortable,” Yang said. “If it makes you feel better, _we_ didn’t mind.”

“Until you pulled the blanket off,” Blake teased. Weiss rolled her eyes. “But... we’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Weiss’ shoulders fell away from her ears a little bit, and she gave Blake a smile.

“Thanks. I just... how did we get _there?”_

Everyone looked at her.

“What?” She asked.

“You don’t... remember?” Ruby asked. 

“It’s not unusual for your first experience in your were to be... intense,” Blake said. “It might take a moment for you to really recall what happened.”

Weiss’ brows furrowed.

“I remember... I remember the pull,” Weiss said. “The moon. It was like... a _feeling,_ in my chest, as if my were was being drawn out of me by some external force. I had to guide it, to push the changes around my body instead of letting them break out...”

Ruby gave her an encouraging nod.

“Then I remember... happiness? _Elation,_ relief, _freedom...”_ she blushed. “I remember hugging you,” she said to Ruby. “And... you two, as well...”

“I was _genuinely_ worried you were gonna crush me,” Blake laughed. “But... then what?”

“It’s... muddled,” Weiss admitted. “I - there was... running. I felt so _powerful_ in that form, and so... hungry.” All three of them nodded. “We... we hunted. A deer, then rabbits... did we fight a _wild boar?”_

“Yeah,” Yang said. “They’re basically the only animals that’ll fight us in our weres. What do you remember after that?”

“Well, _you_ were covered in dirt and blood, you brute,” Weiss said, blinking at how much clearer the memories were now that she was focusing on them. “So the three of us cleaned you up, and then... oh.”

“Yeah,” Yang said gently.

“Did I really just... pass out? Right on top of you?” Weiss asked.

“Yup,” Ruby said simply.

“And you two...”

“I grabbed the blanket and covered you both,” Blake said. “And then we all kinda just snuggled up, and that was that.”

“I... Yang, I’m... I’m so sorry...” Weiss said. Yang immediately waved it off.

“Relax,” she said. “You stayed up for a _while_ \- I think you were so concerned about hunting and then about cleaning me up that you didn’t really realize how tired you were.”

“I also owe _you_ an apology, Ruby,” Weiss said. Confusingly, this earned her a light smack on the arm from her girlfriend.

“No, you don’t,” Ruby said. “You were exhausted, and Yang is a really comfy pillow. I’ve fallen asleep on her like that dozens of times. I know you’re not gonna, like... _cheat_ on me or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. It was obvious that there wasn’t anything romantic behind it.”

Weiss just blinked, not expecting this at all.

“Blake...?”

“What, do you think _I’m_ the one who’s not gonna be cool with this?” Blake laughed. “Last moon, I woke up with Ruby’s face right in-between my boobs. I gave her a scratch on the head and fell right back asleep.” She reached over to tousle Ruby’s hair for emphasis, eliciting a laugh from her.

“Weiss,” Ruby said, taking her hand. “Yang and I _want_ to make a Pack - in a sense, a _family_ \- with you and Blake. Part of that is trusting each other with this sort of thing.” She gave Weiss a smile. “Now, if I walked in on you and Blake making out, that’d be another story, but...”

Weiss’ cheeks _burned_ with embarrassment - she shot a mournful look over to Blake, apologizing for the mere concept. Blake just shrugged, not really commenting on it besides accepting her apology. Ruby squeezed her hand.

“But,” she said again. “When it comes to these two, I trust you. I know your intentions aren’t romantic with them, and I’m not jealous. Promise.”

Weiss blinked, unsure of what to say.

“Now, _your_ comfort levels are another story,” Yang said. “Just because the three of us are cool with naked forest snuggling doesn’t mean that _you_ have to be. We’ll respect your boundaries, whatever they are.”

Ruby and Blake both nodded once, resolute.

“I... I don’t...” Weiss’ lips drew into a tight line. “I guess I just... don’t really know how to feel.”

“That’s okay,” Ruby said. “Take your time, and let us know if we’re ever too much. I know you talked about how much you enjoyed snuggling before, but... I get that it’s _different_ when nobody’s wearing anything.”

“I’ll... I’ll do some thinking,” she said. “And let you all know.”

This got her a round of nods.

“Can I ask more about this... Pack... stuff?” Blake asked.

“Sure,” Yang replied.

Blake’s brows furrowed. “Are you and Yang in a Pack right now?” She asked.

Both sisters looked sorrowfully down at the ground.

“We... we were,” Yang said. “Until Ruby was seven, and I was nine.”

“What happened?” Blake asked, her voice soft. 

“We lost our mom,” Ruby said, with Yang’s eyes flicking away briefly at the word ‘our.’ “She and Dad were the main members, and when Mom died, Dad didn’t have the heart to formally remove her, so he just... dissolved the whole thing.”

“‘Formally?’” Weiss asked.

“Y-yeah...” Yang said, a little shy now. “Weiss, remember the first week of school, when I was telling you about different kinds of weres?”

Weiss’ face went utterly blank - it was only around six or seven weeks ago, but it felt like it had been a thousand years. 

“I said that wolves were the most common type of were,” Yang continued, her voice even. “And we’re actually _so_ common - for a kind of werecreature, at least - that in the last hundred years or so, we’ve started... keeping track of each other.”

“Like what?” Blake asked, her golden eyes narrowing in confusion. “Is there like a big reunion every five years or something? Do you guys have a group chat?”

“No, no,” Yang laughed. “But, because there’s enough of us...”

 _“And_ because we’re so quick to make lasting, even permanent relationships...” Ruby added. Yang nodded in agreement. 

“We sorta have... a system. To keep track of each other, and our Pack members, our territories...”

 _“Territories?”_ Weiss asked. “What, like... we’d lay _claim_ to a patch of land?”

“Broadly? Yeah,” Ruby said. “Wolves _are_ pretty territorial, after all. I mean, for a city like Vale, we kinda have to be a lot more lenient - if a wolf works in unclaimed territory, but a new Pack moves in, what’re they gonna do? Change jobs?”

“But,” Yang continued, “When it comes to something like Patch, or places that’re even _more_ rural... it’d be a little different. Wolves usually don’t mind humans coming and going, or even other weres, but... if you’re a wolf and you try to start hunting or living in somebody else’s territory... it might not go over well.” She sighed. “Dad told me that my mom was that way. He and Qrow used to be the only wolves allowed to walk into Branwen territory without being a part of the Pack - emphasis on ‘used to.’”

Weiss just met Blake’s eyes, wondering at how she was processing this. Blake appeared to be deep in thought as well.

“Normally, it’s really not so dramatic,” Ruby reassured them, as if sensing their doubt. “Honestly, the main reason that we keep track of each other formally is to prevent confrontation like that before it happens. If you know there’s a Pack who’s designated some territory near you, you know to leave them alone, and they’ll leave you alone.”

“It also helps out lone wolves, too,” Yang noted. “I mean... we usually tend to be _drawn_ to each other. If there are formal, pre-defined Packs, then if you find yourself on your own for whatever reason - maybe because you wanna leave your birth Pack, or you move to a new city... you know where to go to meet other wolves.”

There was a long silence.

“You two... you want to be a Pack with us,” Blake said. “Er... you want to _make_ one.”

The sisters shared a look.

“We... we actually hadn’t really talked about it until today,” Yang admitted. “But... Ruby and I never _really_ got the experience of having one, and...”

“And we kinda want that now,” Ruby said, her voice soft. “I... we’re just... really close to you. _Both_ of you. In... different ways, I guess, but...” she trailed off, her hand on the back of her head.

 _“If_ we were to do this,” Weiss began. “What would we... _be,_ to each other? I mean... the way that I think of you all now is...” she blushed a little. “Well, Ruby’s my girlfriend, obviously, and... Yang, you feel like my older sister, even though I already had one.” Yang gave her a soft smile. She blushed again, and continued. “And Blake, I... We haven’t really spent much time together without _these_ two...” she pointed at the sisters, earning a laugh from both of them. “But... I honestly think that you’re my very best friend.”

Blake’s amber eyes went _so_ soft. She put a hand on her chest, genuinely touched. “Weiss...” She didn’t say it out loud, but Weiss could tell that the sentiment was mutual. She met Ruby’s eyes again, feeling butterflies in her stomach at her admissions.

“So, again... _if_ we did this, what would that make us?”

“We’d be packmates,” Ruby said simply. Her cheeks got a little rosy. “I... I mean... Yang would still be my sister, you’d still be my girlfriend, but... it’s sort of another layer of depth, I guess. For all of those relationships.”

“Okay...” Weiss said, pondering. “Is that how most Packs are?”

“It... it really does mean different things to different people,” Ruby said. “For some, being a Pack means being in a relationship. Like... a _romantic_ one, which we four are _not._ For some, it’s a family - like me, Yang, Mom, and Dad, when we were little.”

“For my mom, from what little I’ve heard, it’s kinda like a big found family,” Yang said. “Mom’s the leader of a Pack that’s got like forty people in it, maybe more. They’re certainly not _all_ dating, and they’re not _all_ related by blood or marriage - but they’ve all agreed to live and hunt together, to be a group for the moon.”

“That... _almost_ sounds like the White Fang,” Blake mused. “At least... back when we were just a loose group of weres, and not... y’know... eco-terrorists, trying to destroy Northwest Logging.”

A flash of recognition popped into Weiss’ mind. She’d _heard_ that name before - she just didn’t know where. 

She brushed it off - for the moment, they certainly had more important things to discuss.

“I... still don’t fully understand,” Weiss said. “If it’s just... just another word for it, I guess, then what’s the difference, besides us having a territory?”

“Well,” Yang said, “If we were talking to a group of other werewolves and you called Blake your ‘friend,’ unless she was around for them to smell, they’d probably think she was a human girl that you talked to pretty frequently. But if you called her your _packmate,_ they might get a better idea - she’s a fellow were, someone you hunt with, change with... and probably sleep with. In the literal sense.”

Weiss blushed again.

“Plus, if you’re talking to some wolves who’re looking for new members, bringing up your packmate is a way to quietly say that you’re not interested.” Ruby said.

“Like how I mention you whenever boys try to flirt with me,” Yang said to Blake. “It just kinda lets other wolves know where you’re at, so to speak.”

“You keep saying ‘wolves,’” Blake said, her ears flattening against her head. “But... it sounds like none of this would really apply to me, right? Because...” She looked away. “I’m... not one of you. Not like that, at least.”

Yang’s shoulders fell. “Blake...” she said, reaching a hand out to her knee.

Weiss looked over at the girl who she’d just publicly declared to be her very best friend. Seeing her feel excluded like this... it _hurt,_ in a very familiar way. She was briefly reminded of how she often felt around other people her age - they were always so _different,_ once she really tried to know them. A consequence of her upbringing was that she’d barely had any relatable experiences to most of the people that she’d met, especially in her early years. When she was ten years old and first met people who didn’t have a personal shopper, she had been _genuinely,_ innocently surprised. But to everyone else, the people with _actual_ life experience, she’d just appeared haughty and thoughtless. She absolutely had been, to an extent, and had to do some real work in order to adjust her horribly flawed worldview. But the _exclusion..._

The exclusion, she knew too well.

“If Blake can’t be involved, I’m not interested.” Weiss said plainly.

Blake looked up at her, eyes wet.

“R-really?” she asked.

“Of course,” Weiss said. “Don’t get me wrong, I... I _love_ Ruby, and if she says this will make her happy, then I want to hear her out.” 

Ruby’s smile was a thousand-watt beam. 

“What about me?” Yang asked slyly.

“You’re... _tolerable,”_ Weiss said, a teasing smile on her lips. “But... but I’m _not_ excluding Blake. She’s helped me _so_ much with all of this were stuff, and if becoming a ‘Pack’ means leaving her behind, then I’d prefer to just stay a group of four friends... who _apparently_ fall asleep together naked after the full moon.”

This got a rather weak laugh from all of them, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

“When it comes to other kinds of werecreatures being part of a Pack, I’ll admit that I don’t _fully_ know if it’s a thing,” Ruby said. 

“I did what little research I could last night, and I came up empty,” Yang added.

“But,” Ruby said, leaning forward just enough to put her hand on Blake’s other knee. “Based on what Weiss just said, I think the three of us are in agreement that we’re either doing this _with_ you or we’re not doing it at all. Trust me... we wouldn’t be talking about this unless we thought we could involve you.”

Blake met her eyes, grateful.

“And if we can’t, then we’ll involve you anyway,” Yang said. “Maybe we won’t be able to formally claim territory or whatever, but the word ‘packmate’ doesn’t belong to anyone. If nothing else, we can just play by our own rules.”

Blake met each of their eyes in turn, her smile so warm. She wiped at her misty eyes, clearing them.

“Thank you - thank you all...” she said. 

“And... again, you two don’t have to do this,” Yang added. “Rubes and I won’t be, like... _mad_ or anything.” She met her sister’s eyes. “I think we’re both _really_ happy with the way things are right now.”

Ruby nodded vigorously. For the first time since they’d started this conversation, she actually touched Weiss, putting a hand on her shoulder. Weiss blinked, realizing that this contact - something she’d already become used to getting from Ruby - had been absent during their talk. Weiss let out a very small breath, realizing why Ruby had withdrawn.

She’d been making an offer to them - one that, from what Weiss could tell, was pretty serious. During something like that, she must have pulled into herself a little bit. Even now, she was still a little bit afraid of seeming coercive, or... predatory.

“So,” Yang said, returning Weiss to the present, “Obviously, we don’t want you guys to jump into this decision. We have _plenty_ of time - months, maybe a year or more... there’s no _real_ deadline. I mean, Weiss... you’ve only been a were for three weeks.”

“Wow, really?” Weiss asked, her surprise genuine. She shook her head. “It feels like it’s been so much longer, somehow.”

Ruby gave her a shrug and a smile.

“Either way, we... we all should do some thinking on this, and talk more about it later, and all of that, but...” her smile became a bit more nervous. “What do you two think, initially?”

Weiss and Blake met each others’ eyes, holding a silent conversation. After a short moment, they exchanged nods.

“I’m... interested,” Blake said. “You’re right, we _do_ need to know more, especially when it comes to... me.” She shrugged. “But... I’m definitely not opposed to the idea.”

Weiss nodded. “I mean, I _already_ feel like a part of your family,” she said, gesturing to Yang and Ruby. “And Blake always seemed like part of that, too - another ‘honorary member’ of the Rose/Xiao Long clan.” She met Ruby and Yang’s eyes for a second. “Which... does give me one hang-up.”

Ruby cocked her head. “What is it?”

“What about your father?” Weiss asked. “I... don’t get me wrong, he’s let me into his home, he’s driven me to and from Patch, and the tailor’s, and he’s _so_ kind, but...” Weiss hoped that from there, they understood - she _liked_ Tai, but she couldn’t exactly picture him being around as they all got naked for the moon or anything.

Yang looked down for a moment. 

“Dad... Dad swore off ever having a Pack after Summ- uh, _Mom,”_ Yang said. “You’ve gotta understand - in college, he had a really tight-knit group of wolves with our moms and Qrow, but... being a Pack never really came up. Qrow left the Branwens, but Raven went back - and Dad was _allowed_ there, sure, but... Raven was the only person in the Pack who really cared about him. Then I was born, and when Dad said that he wanted to raise me in Patch and have me, y’know, go to school and all that, instead of living in the woods with Raven, she just... left.”

Yang let out a long, existential sigh. 

“Then he and Summer got together, they had Ruby, and Dad _finally_ had a Pack of his own - at least... for a little while. Losing that, it... it kinda turned him off to the idea, for good.”

They were silent for a while. Weiss realized that this may have been why Tai was less than eager to join them for hunts or for the moon. He’d been _extremely_ supportive of Weiss - even defended her from her father. Considering that he’d also offered Blake to live with him in Patch indefinitely, it was clear that he was a remarkably kind and generous man.

But that was it - Tai was a _man,_ and while he was certainly also a werewolf... he seemed to prefer being the former. Weiss blinked, realizing that she’d never even seen him let his ears or tail out.

“So, if we were to do this, it’d definitely just be the four of us,” Ruby said. “I mean, Yang and I would welcome our dad in a heartbeat, but...” she hugged her arms close to her chest. “We don’t think he’d appreciate the offer.”

Weiss wordlessly scooted across the blanket and put her arm along Ruby’s shoulders. She blinked for a moment, not expecting the contact, but she leaned back into it gratefully.

“He’d of course be welcome in our territory, though,” Yang said. “It’d be kinda awful of us to not let him in.”

“Uncle Qrow, too,” Ruby added. 

“Speaking _of_ ‘territory,’” Blake said, “If we even end up being able to claim any...”

Yang gave her an encouraging nod.

“Well... where would it be? How much do we even get?”

Ruby straightened a little, taking on the ‘explaining were stuff’ posture she had whenever she was teaching things about werecreatures to Weiss.

“When it comes to size, for the four of us... we’re looking at _maybe_ twenty square miles, at most,” Ruby said. “If we lived farther from the coast, in a less populated area, we’d probably get more, but... we’re still really close to Vale, and it’s probably got dozens of Packs in it already.”

“That’s... that’s still a lot of land,” Weiss said. “For just the four of us?”

“Sure, but that’d be the absolute _most_ we could take, and we’d still have to be careful about where we go,” Yang said. “If you were an old, respected werewolf with a Pack of over a dozen members, and four random college girls took a big chunk of land right on your doorstep, would _you_ be happy about it?”

“No,” Weiss admitted. “That’s a fair point.”

“So, in Vale... we could probably get ourselves like one city block,” Ruby said. “And I can’t say I’ve brushed up on the way that territory’s distributed at the moment, so...”

“We’d basically have to pick between our apartment and your guys’ room,” Yang said. “And that’s only _if_ either one is unclaimed.”

Weiss’ brows furrowed. 

“Could we even do that? Just... _claim_ a small segment of Beacon’s campus?”

“Theoretically, yeah,” Ruby said. “Now, if there are any other wolves in our building, we’d basically _have_ to give them free reign of our territory, but... almost nothing’s off-limits, besides places like historical sites, graveyards or public parks - y’know, stuff that’d be _super_ uncool to claim, considering that they’re meant for everyone. But, if it’s a place that someone can live... it’s on the table.”

“We won’t go to Beacon forever, though,” Weiss pointed out. “What happens when we move out?”

“Territory shifts,” Yang said plainly. “This stuff used to be pretty permanent, and I’m sure that there are parts of the country that’ve belonged to the same Pack for decades, but in a city like Vale, people move. The Committee in charge of organizing all this, doling out territory... they’re _really_ busy in September, when a lot of leases end.”

“So, other than Vale itself... where could we park our butts?” Blake asked. “A segment of these woods, maybe those in Patch, too? Can the territory be so... disconnected, like that?”

“It can,” Ruby said. “We could honestly take like... _most_ of the woods in Patch, if we wanted. It depends on whether we want to spend more time here or there.”

“Okay, this is starting to be... a lot...” Weiss said.

That sobered everyone up for a little bit. The idea _was_ exciting, in concept - but they needed more information before they should start hashing out details like this.

“Sorry,” Ruby said, backing off. She had an expression on her face that Weiss had come to realize she made whenever she’d just become self-conscious about oversharing, or being overexcited. It happened the most when she was talking about music or her art - Weiss always tried to encourage her, but she did still end up lost sometimes, and that’s usually when Ruby would slow down like this. Weiss just gave Ruby an indulgent smile, hoping she wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Yang yawned. “Jeez, it feels like we’ve been talking for like an hour, but...” she looked up, and only the early light of dawn was filtering through the trees.

“What time is it?” Blake asked. Now that the serious nature of this discussion was lifted, everyone began to remember how early they’d awoken, and how quickly. Weiss felt her vision blur for a moment as she got lost in her thoughts. She blinked away the feeling, but it felt suddenly far stronger than she’d noticed during their talk.

“It is... _five_ o’clock in the morning,” Ruby announced, her scroll in her hand. 

“That’s too early,” Yang declared. She stretched, running a hand through her long blond hair. She stopped at a tangle and gave up. “Anybody got plans today? Because I _really_ don’t feel like walking back to the apartment right now.”

“The trains won’t even be running until seven, it’s Saturday,” Blake noted. She rubbed her eyes - apparently Yang’s tiredness was contagious.

“I have to call my sister at some point,” Weiss said.

“I texted her last night,” Ruby said. “I actually got a decent pic of your were.”

“I know, but she probably wants to talk,” Weiss said. “And I -” she yawned “- do _not_ want to see how many text messages she’s probably sent me already.”

“Mid-morning nap, anyone?” Blake asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“That... honestly sounds lovely,” Weiss admitted. “But... do we only really have the one blanket? I can’t sleep on _wet grass._ ”

“Yeah,” Yang said. “I mean, I guess we could try shifting, but...”

“I’m too _tired,”_ Ruby complained. “I didn’t know how exhausting it’d be to hunt for me _and_ Weiss.”

“Hey,” Weiss said, the word containing barely any energy. “I caught... a rabbit...”

“I led it _right_ to you,” Ruby smirked. She made grabby hands at Weiss, earning a snort from her. “C’mere, let’s get some more sleep.”

Weiss just nodded, practically falling into Ruby’s embrace. She carefully set them both down, on top of the blanket, near the middle. Ruby was her big spoon. Weiss hummed in thought - her legs were still rather exposed...

She perched herself up on one arm, grabbing the spare blanket on the other side of Ruby and pulling it over them, essentially turning the pair into a blanket burrito.

Blake and Yang both laughed once they’d put their leather jackets away (they’d be uncomfortable to sleep in). They settled down next to the pair, copying their idea. This meant that they ended up rather... _close_ to Weiss and Ruby. Blake, however, noticed this and deliberately faced away from Weiss, her head nestled into Yang’s shoulder. She curled her tail around her waist, evidently making sure not to repeat this morning’s scenario.

Weiss thought back to how she’d actually _felt,_ waking up with them in a big pile. Before she’d realized that the warmth beneath her was her girlfriend’s sister, and that the soft appendage wrapped around her legs was her best friend’s tail, Weiss had been... comfortable. _Incredibly_ comfortable. Ruby was definitely warm, but Yang was like a space heater, and Blake... she was so calming, and gentle and... kind. She thought back to the first time she’d woken up in Patch, after being Turned - how _careful_ they’d both been with her, and how warm. She remembered leaning against Blake, and then burying her face into Yang’s shoulder... then returning to leaning against Blake...

This morning had certainly been... _surprising._ And Weiss didn’t think she’d want to jump right up to that level right away. But...

“Blake?”

Her black ears twitched, her tail unravelling from her waist just slightly. Blake took her time picking her head up and looking over to Weiss.

“Yes, Weiss?”

“I think that I’m at least willing to... to build up, to where we were this morning. Baby steps.”

Blake let out a tiny laugh. “Is there a reason you’re telling me this _now?”_

Weiss blushed. “Well... since we’re here, I...” she trailed off, uncertain of what to say, how to phrase it. Fortunately for her, Blake just laughed again, stretching her tail out for a moment before rolling over completely. She faced Weiss, and held out an arm.

“C’mere.”

Weiss looked over her shoulder at Ruby, but to her surprise, she just let go, giving Weiss a nod.

Timidly, Weiss scooted over across the ground, putting her tail away to lie on her back. Blake sidled up to her, resting her head on the inside of Weiss’ shoulder. Ruby, not to be outdone, did the same thing on the other side, with the girls’ serene faces only inches apart. Weiss briefly worried that Yang was going to somehow end up in the middle of all that, lying on Weiss the same way that she’d slept on Yang this morning. Weiss was... _unconfident_ about her body’s ability to physically support the three of them. However, Yang just flopped over to her other side, lazily throwing an arm across all three of them. Yang and Ruby both folded the blankets back over themselves, re-creating the blanket burrito.

The weight of Ruby’s head on one side of her chest and Blake’s on the other was surprisingly comforting. Ruby had jokingly told her that she barely moved when she slept, regardless as to whether they were sharing a bed, but her current position made Weiss almost instantly still - as if movement were not just forbidden, but uninteresting. She did gently lean down to place a kiss on the crown of Ruby’s head (it was slightly uncomfortable to stretch that far, but it was worth it) and she gently ran her hand up and down Blake’s side, careful not to touch any bare skin. This earned her a soft purr, and those triangular black ears gave an adorable twitch.

Weiss felt much better considering that everyone was at least somewhat clothed, and it felt good to verbally initiate things instead of just... waking up to them. But overall, Weiss had to admit, the feeling _was_ rather amazing.

She wasn’t quite sure yet how she felt about becoming a Pack, and she certainly didn’t have a pressing desire to devote even an ounce of her brainpower towards considering it at the moment. But, if it involved a fair amount of this, just surrounding herself, physically _and_ emotionally, with her new family...

Weiss couldn’t say that she had many objections to it after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you *so* much for reading!
> 
> The lovely artwork for this chapter was provided by the amazing and wonderful Jen Yoko! She's drawn Werewolf of Beacon fan art in the past, but I commissioned this piece from her for this chapter. I hope that you all are in love with her incredible work as I am, and PLEASE check Jen out here:
> 
> https://twitter.com/dogeyoko
> 
> If you're looking for ME on twitter, I can be found here:
> 
> https://twitter.com/pixlh3art
> 
> Thank you once again for reading, and a HUGE thank you to Jen for her incredible work! See you next chapter!
> 
> EDIT: The bonus chapter for 750 kudos is now up! Sorry it took me so long (long for me, anyways) but I sincerely think it'll be worth the wait! Check out the next work in this series to see the bonus chapter!
> 
> -R


	24. Pack Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long!
> 
> Things really picked up with my last college class, but it's actually over now (I'm like graduated or whatever, amazing) so hopefully I'll be back on track! I will warn that the video game I've been writing for is in its last few weeks of development, so that's probably going to take a fair amount of time, too, but I promise I'm nowhere near giving up on this series!  
> (Also, my independent video game Nowhere New can be found here: http://nowhere-new.com/ - we plan to release on July 15th!)
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy the chapter!
> 
> -Red

Weiss stared nervously at the screen, waiting for a message from Winter’s roommate. Three days had passed since her first full moon, and after Ruby made her a celebratory dinner in their room that Saturday night, things had mostly returned to normal.

Or... whatever normal _was_ now, for her.

However, the conversations that they’d all had about Packs still stuck with her. She and Ruby hadn’t really spoken about it in detail since, because Weiss didn’t really have any more questions for her, Yang, or even Blake. They still didn’t fully know if Blake _could_ be a member of their purely theoretical Pack, and because the semester was picking up, Ruby and Yang hadn’t had the time to ask anyone about it. At first, Weiss had been grateful for the downtime, to sleep on it, mull it over, and think about how it made her feel.

Now, though, three days later, she’d come to a complete standstill with her emotions about the whole thing, and had finally (reluctantly) asked Winter about it. 

  
  


_Hey, can I ask you something?_

_Er... I suppose I’d like to ask one of your three roommates._

_The ones who are... like me._

_We can speak plainly here, Weiss._

_What’s your question? Is it a... werewolf thing?_

_Yes._

_Ruby and Yang talked with us about becoming a Pack, and..._

_I’m just not sure how I feel about it._

_Are your roommates in a Pack? Or have they been previously?_

_I believe that they are now, yes._

_I don’t understand the specifics, but I know it’s rather..._

_... significant._

_Would you like to talk with one of them?_

_That would be wonderful! Thank you._

_Of course. If I recall, Fiona doesn’t stream on Tuesdays, so she should be free._ _  
_ _Let me send you her contact information._

_I... I’m here for you as well, Weiss._

_I know, and I love you._

_I just... I think I need to hear about this from the werewolf’s mouth, you know?_

_Of course._

_My class is about to start, but I sent Fiona your scroll number._

_Take care, Weiss._

_And... I love you too._

Weiss smiled as she reread the exchange. She imagined that to an outside observer, her relationship with her sister would seem rather frigid at best, with perhaps some genuine emotion underneath. But in all honesty, such a tensionless conversation with genuine claims of affection was incredible progress considering where they’d started during their childhood. Winter was five years older than Weiss, already out of college and now in law school, and the Schnee manor was practically _designed_ so that any occupant didn’t have a very high chance of bumping into another by accident. She and Winter had never attended the same school, like Ruby and Yang did - upon reflecting, Weiss realized that for a significant part of her adolescence, she would have been lucky to see Winter twice in the same week.

So this... this was progress. Perhaps the only benefit to living in such a horribly cold and formal household as children was that after they both had escaped and reconnected... if nothing else, it was certainly something they had in common.

Weiss’ laptop chirped as she got a message from Winter’s roommate - Fiona, that was her name. Weiss had no earthly idea what her profession was, considering that she apparently had time to chat just fifteen minutes past three in Atlas time on a Tuesday. Winter had mentioned that her job was apparently called “streaming,” but nothing more. Regardless, Weiss was at least happy that she’d be able to have someone to talk with about this while Ruby was in class.

Weiss picked up the video call.

“Hi there!” A short, bubbly girl said as the video connected. The first thing that Weiss noticed was that her camera’s quality was _impeccable_ \- she was used to seeing Winter and Robyn be at least somewhat grainy in their video calls, but this image of Fiona was remarkably clear. Secondly, she had _quite_ an odd desk setup. The area behind her was all a bright green (was it a _greenscreen?)_ and her external keyboard and mouse were both glowing various colors of the rainbow. Fiona’s chair had a higher back than Weiss was expecting, higher than her head, and it had pink accents. Most interestingly, some subtle pink lighting played over her face and hands, as if there were soft light fixtures on the desk itself.

“You’re Winter’s little sister, right?” The girl asked, her light green eyes sparkling.

“Yes!” Weiss replied, tuning in to her actual words. “I’m Weiss - it’s nice to meet you.”

“Fiona,” she replied, her white wolf ears bouncing just a little as she smiled. She honestly could be mistaken for a Schnee, if it weren’t for her lack of blue eyes, and the fact that while her hair was the correct shade of white, it was _far_ thicker and messier than hers, Winter’s, or even Whitley’s during his _extremely_ brief rebellious phase.

“So, Winter told me you had a question about Packs,” Fiona said. “Are you looking to start one?”

“Maybe, yes,” Weiss replied. “Sorry, I’m still rather new to this whole werewolf thing - and every time I think I’ve just about figured everything out, Ruby and Yang say something offhand and then there’s a whole new level to it.”

“That’s pretty much what being Turned is like, yeah,” Fiona said with a knowing nod. “But hey, Winter told us you made it through your first moon! That’s really great! Don’t worry, they’re all easier from then on out.”

Weiss sighed with relief. However, she couldn’t help but notice that Fiona seemed to be speaking from personal experience. She thought back to one of the first conversations that she’d had with Winter after coming out as a werewolf - they’d mentioned Fiona, hadn’t they?

“Are you... also Turned?” Weiss asked. “Sorry, is that a rude thing to ask?”

“Nope, don’t worry,” Fiona said with a smile. “But yeah - here, check it out!”

She stood up from her chair, and Weiss could only see from the very top of her high-waisted jeans to around halfway up her torso, with the rest of her being out of frame. Fiona began to pull up her shirt, and Weiss almost shielded her eyes instinctively, but Fiona stopped well before reaching anything actually revealing.

All across her abs, starting from the area around her left pants pocket and running all the way across her chest, were a series of jagged puncture wounds in the vague shape of a mouth. It was _remarkably_ different from the scar on Weiss’ leg - Ruby had only bitten down with the very front of her canines, and had _attempted_ to be as gentle as she could, so her wound was relatively tidy in comparison to Fiona’s. Whoever had Turned her must have - judging by the scars - bitten down on _most_ of Fiona’s torso. The jagged, uneven nature of each puncture mark also suggested that Fiona hadn’t been... _removed..._ from the werewolf’s mouth very cleanly.

Fiona sat back down, her rather chipper grin _completely_ incongruous with the frankly gruesome scar that Weiss had just seen. She didn’t even realize that her jaw was hanging open until she got a confused look from Fiona, which made her at least cogent enough to slam it shut.

“I... wow...” Weiss murmured. “May I ask how that happened, or would you rather not explain?”

Fiona waved off her fears, though her face was a bit more grim than the cheery smile she’d been wearing earlier. She sighed.

“I’ll give you the short version. My whole birth family... _hunted_ werewolves. Not just dangerous or malicious ones, either - they saw lycanthropy as a curse that had to be eradicated.”

Weiss just blinked in surprise, immediately sympathetic. Fiona’s slight nod was unsurprised by her reaction, but she appreciated the sentiment.

“I had no idea how _wrong_ it was, at first - I was born into it. One night, when I was like sixteen... we were stalking this wolf who was just minding their own business on a full moon. My family all carried silver swords, so the wolf tried to keep us away, but we eventually had them surrounded. My parents and older brothers managed to restrain their arms and legs, telling _me_ to kill them. I’d never... I’d never just _taken_ a life before.” She shuddered.

“Then, when I hesitated, they picked my whole body up in their jaws and tossed me around fifteen feet through the air, into a tree. I dunno what happened after that, but the next morning...” she let out a tiny, bemused chuckle. “I woke up with that huge scar, several bruises, a pounding headache... and a tail.”

“Wow...” Weiss breathed. “What happened with your parents?”

“Well, I _tried_ to hide it at first,” Fiona said, scrubbing the back of her neck. “They never actually _caught_ me or anything - they weren’t sure if the bite had been enough to actually Turn me, and I lied and said it hadn’t. I thought I could keep hiding that way forever, but considering that the family business involved going out on full moons... it didn’t exactly last very long. I was gone less than a month later.”

Weiss just shook her head in disbelief. “I... I can’t imagine.”

Fiona shrugged. “Really? You and Winter had to cut ties with your father, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but... we waited until college,” Weiss said. “The last time I left the Schnee manor, I did it with a suitcase in my hand, and the family butler right behind me. You, though...”

“Yeah...” Fiona said, her eyes momentarily glazing over as she looked into a far-off place. She shook herself out of her reverie, her bright smile almost immediately returning.

“Anyways! What did you want to ask me about? Pack stuff?”

“Yes,” Weiss said. “After my first moon, my girlfriend and her sister asked us about... starting one, with them,” Weiss said. “And they explained pretty much everything - at least how _they_ see it.”

“Okay,” Fiona said. “So it’d be you, your girlfriend, your girlfriend’s sister, and...”

 _“Her_ girlfriend,” Weiss said. “So, four of us. We’re all pretty close, I... I _honestly_ already feel like a member of their strange little family.”

Fiona smiled.

“Yeah, that’s kinda what it’s like,” Fiona said. “When Robyn first bumped into me at school and learned that I didn’t have any other wolves to spend the moon with, she introduced me to May and Joanna, and we all got along right away right away.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed. “And then what?”

“Well, now we’re all an officially-recognized Pack!” She said with a grin. _“And_ they’re both my girlfriends.”

“How did _that_ end up happening?” Weiss asked, amused. Fiona laughed.

“Well, the _first_ moon I spent with them, I woke up curled next to Joanna, but May was sleeping _basically_ on top of her. As soon as Jo woke up and saw May snoozing on her like that, she was so flushed and embarrassed that I _immediately_ knew there was something going on there. May always tried to play it cool, but I caught her sneaking glances at Jo that were filled with more longing than a poem from Sappho herself. I finally asked Robyn about it, and she said that they’d been doing a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ dance with each other for an entire _year.”_

“That’s...” Weiss was about to criticize, but she admitted that she didn’t have much of a leg to stand on. If Yang and Blake hadn’t practically _shoved_ her at Ruby, and if she hadn’t been worried about her first moon cutting things short... she couldn’t _imagine_ where she would have gotten the courage to ask Ruby out.

“Yeah,” Fiona said, not noticing her hesitation. “So, I spent about a month playing matchmaker, but I guess I was so focused on getting them to just _kiss already_ that I didn’t realize that I was falling for both of them, myself...” she laughed. “Anyways, after what in retrospect was about a month of _very_ awkward and hesitant flirting, we were all watching a movie in what was then just Robyn and May’s room, when Robyn finally just walked in and said ‘For _fuck’s_ sake, just admit that you’re all in love with each other and make out already so I can finally go to bed!’”

“That’s rather... _direct,”_ Weiss said.

“In her defense, it _was_ two in the morning on a school night,” Fiona laughed. “So... we did! And we’ve been together ever since.”

“That’s so lovely,” Weiss said, smiling. “So... when did you become a Pack?”

“Oh, that was around... six months later?” Fiona said. “You see, May was actually still kind of a member of her birth family’s Pack back then - that’s why they gave her that cabin upstate. But after she went to college, and _especially_ after she started dating us... well, she decided to strike out on her own. Becoming a Pack with us was actually her idea.”

“I see,” Weiss said. “And... what did you say?”

“Well, I also didn’t really know much about Packs then, either,” Fiona said. “I mean. I was Turned and then basically forced to figure things out myself from there, so it’s not as though I had one to start with...”

Weiss nodded, knowing the feeling.

“But, after my girls explained it to me... I was honestly really excited!” Fiona said. “It wasn’t as tough to move our territory around as I thought it would when we started renting this house, plus we already had May’s cabin. These days, Winter and Robyn are almost, like... honorary members. Or however vampires - er, daywalkers, play into the whole thing.”

“Oh, speaking of,” Weiss said, “Do you know if other types of weres can be official members of a Pack? My best friend, Blake, she’s actually a panther, not a wolf, so...”

“Hmm,” Fiona said, giving an empty shrug. “I’ve got no idea, sorry. I think May’s birth pack was all wolves, and Jo doesn’t really like talking about hers, so if it’s a thing, I’ve never heard of it.”

“I see...” Weiss said, her eyes gazing down at the floor.

“Hey, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!” Fiona said. “If anything, it’d just be a little bit unique.”

“Thank you, that’s... very reassuring,” Weiss said with a smile.

“So, what else did you want to know?” Fiona asked.

Weiss shrugged.

“I just... I dunno. I guess I’m having trouble imagining what being a Pack will be _like._ What will change, what it actually _means,_ I just...” she shook her head. 

“Ah, okay. I _think_ I can help,” Fiona said, her face sympathetic. “So... I _assume_ that you and your girlfriend are pretty much only interested in dating each other. Right?”

“Yes,” Weiss said immediately. “I... I mean, I don’t mean any disrespect towards you and _your_ Pack, but I just... I don’t think I’d -”

“Relax,” Fiona said. “There’s lots of ways to be a Pack - my girls and I have one way, and you and _your_ girls will probably have another way.”

“I... they’re not... _my_ girls,” Weiss said, her cheeks reddening. “I mean, _maybe,_ in a sense, Ruby could be, but she’s not, like, _mine_ in that sense, I -”

“Sorry, sorry,” Fiona giggled, her hands innocently raised. “But you and your _friends_ will have your own way of being a Pack. _If_ you want to become one, that is.”

“Right,” Weiss nodded. “I just... how will I _know?”_

Fiona met her eyes.

“Do you love them?”

“S-sorry?”

“As friends, at least for the other two girls. Do you love them?”

“I... honestly?” Weiss asked. 

Fiona nodded, almost solemn. Weiss smiled.

“I think I do.”

Fiona grinned.

“Do you want to spend your moons with them?”

Weiss shrugged. “It’s not as though I know anyone else.”

“Sure, but say you did,” Fiona said. “Say that some of the other friends you’ve made, human friends - say they were werewolves. Say you’ve met other wolves, with different personalities, different traits. Would you still pick those three to spend your moons with?”

Weiss’ brows furrowed for a moment, thoughtful. She looked off into space, considering the question. She tried to imagine people other than Ruby, Yang, and Blake being such a major part of her life. Her memories flicked back to some of her old boarding school friends, acquaintances from fencing, even an idealized version of Winter back at the Schnee manor during the _very_ rare moments in their childhood that could be considered happy...

But then she thought about Yang, with her wild hair and her huge smile. How Weiss had at first assumed that she was hotheaded, but had quickly come to learn that any anger or fury that Yang might feel came _entirely_ from her motivation to protect her loved ones. She thought about how _soft_ Yang could be, despite probably being the most physically strong person she’d ever met. She thought about leaning into Yang’s shoulder on Tai’s couch, and how _gentle_ she’d been. How _kind._

Then she thought about Blake - mellow and collected, but funny and optimistic. She was charming, she was passionate and artistic, and she was _so_ very patient. She had this irresistible silly streak to her, somehow able to keep pace with Yang when it came to snide remarks. She thought about how comfortably Blake had slept on her chest the morning after her first moon - how someone who had been so thoroughly betrayed in the past still gave Weiss her trust so _freely._

And then... Ruby. Weiss was nearly _always_ thinking of Ruby - her smile, so bright that it should by all means give people sunburns. Her laugh, so effortless - like little silver bells. Her eyes, so impossibly beautiful - how _wonderful_ they always looked when she met them with her own. She could create a perfect mental picture of them filled with joy, pride, humor, confidence, determination, patience, kindness, smugness, sympathy, concern, tenderness, and... love.

Ruby Rose’s eyes were always so full of love.

“I... yes,” Weiss said, making realizations at the same time that they left her mouth. “I’ve only known them all for several weeks, but...” she shook her head, in disbelief at herself. “They already feel like family to me. I... I _honestly_ couldn’t picture myself spending my moons with anyone else.”

She met Fiona’s soft green eyes, and they held nothing but pride for her.

“Last little question,” Fiona said. Weiss nodded, ready.

“Could you imagine yourself living with them? Maybe not forever, but... for the foreseeable future? If you had, say, a Vale apartment, with enough space - maybe two bedrooms, and a decent-sized common area... would you like that?”

“I’d love it,” Weiss said instantly. “Before my first moon, I imagined myself living with just Ruby, in a cabin like the one that May has, and... I’d definitely still want my privacy with her from time to time, but...”

She stopped to imagine it. The same cozy little cabin, the same Ruby with her adorable bedhead at the griddle with pancakes, but this time, Yang and Blake were there at the kitchen table. Yang’s hair was just a bit tangled and fluffy, her tired lilac eyes briefly closing as she took a _long_ sip of coffee. Blake sat nearby, curled up with a book and a hot cup of tea, but she still snuck a glance at Ruby to ask if the pancakes were done, her right ear flicking with annoyance when Ruby said something like “not quite yet!” When Weiss entered the room, they all greeted her with smiles, and she kissed Ruby on the cheek. She poured herself some coffee from the pot Yang had made, then put cream and five sugars in a mug she’d poured for Ruby, just the way she liked it. She sat at the table and was _immediately_ roped into the spirited conversation being had between the sisters.

Weiss realized that she was smiling ear-to-ear.

“... I think I’d really love living with them. All of them.”

“Well, then, Weiss...” Fiona said, a knowing smile on her lips. “It sounds like you want those girls to be your Pack.”

Weiss blinked, as if in surprise, before immediately realizing that this answer had been right in front of her the entire time.

“I... yes. I suppose I do.” She smiled, this time directing it right towards Fiona. “Thank you. Thank you _so_ much for helping me with all of this.”

“Of course!” Fiona said. “Honestly, May and Jo helped me so much with wolf stuff when I finally met them that I’m just glad to be passing it along. Who knows? Maybe _you’ll_ be able to give advice to a newly-Turned were someday.”

“Anything can happen,” Weiss said with a shrug. “Oh, and can I ask you something else, something unrelated?”

Fiona cocked her head, one of her ears flopping down a little at the gesture. “Sure. What’s up?”

“I... I apologize if I’m being _rude,_ but...” Fiona raised an eyebrow. “What do you do for a living? Winter’s told me enough to make me curious, but she’s never actually _explained,_ per se...”

 _“Oh,”_ Fiona said, the tiny bit of apprehension in her posture instantly gone when she recognized the innocence of the question. “People pay to watch me play video games.”

Weiss slowly blinked twice, wondering if she’d misheard her.

“Yeah,” Fiona said, “I know. It started as a dumb thing I’d do to hang out with my online friends, then a bunch of random people started to tune in and were really friendly, and now, three years later...” she laughed, as if she couldn’t believe it herself. “Now I have a hundred thousand people who follow my streams to some extent, and I make around as much money as anyone else in the house.”

Weiss had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. It was obvious that Fiona was telling the truth, and the idea didn’t seem _entirely_ ludicrous, given her extremely limited knowledge of internet culture, but... it certainly hadn’t been the answer she was expecting.

 _“Weiss?”_ Came a voice from outside her door. 

“Ruby?” Weiss called back. “Are you okay?”

_“Oh, yeah! Can you get the door? I went shopping and now my hands are really full!”_

Weiss looked back at the screen, but Fiona appeared to have heard the whole thing.

“Sounds like that’s my cue,” she said. “It was good talking to you, Weiss. I’m glad I could help with this.”

“Yes, thank you _so_ much,” Weiss said. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Fiona said. “It was nice meeting you. Good luck with your Pack!” She gave Weiss a friendly wave, and then ended the call.

* * *

“So... let me see if I understand this correctly,” Weiss began, looking at the massive pile of things on their floor. “After class, you went to a _pet store.”_

“Yup!” Ruby chirped.

“Despite the fact that here at school, the only pets we’re allowed to have are fish,” Weiss continued.

“And service animals!” Ruby defended. “Didn’t you get the email that somebody on another floor has a seeing-eye dog?”

Weiss blinked, genuinely amazed that Ruby had actually clicked into that email.

“Even still,” Weiss replied. “Neither of _us_ has a service animal, so... _why_ did you buy a dog bed?”

“I mean... isn’t it obvious?” She asked. “It’s for us, when we’re in our wolves!”

Weiss’ eyebrow traveled up to her hairline. “Don’t you remember that we have an _actual_ bed?” Weiss replied. “We even have _two,_ including one that we don’t even use anymore.”

“Well, _yeah,”_ Ruby admitted, her voice clearly showing that she thought Weiss was being a spoilsport. “But remember that one time we tried snuggling in our wolves on my bed?”

Weiss _did_ remember. In their human forms, the pair fit in the bed just fine, though it could be a _little_ snug at times. Their cuddling positions usually consolidated their bodies well enough that it wasn’t much of an issue. In their wolves, though, they tended to use a bit more of the bed’s width than they did as humans, and that was not _exactly_ something that it had in great supply. After nearly five minutes of fussing around with their positions, they discovered that the only way that they could both fit comfortably was if Ruby curled into a ball at the head of the bed, and Weiss did the same at the foot. Their backs could still be touching, but... it just wasn’t the _same_ when compared to the way that Ruby usually laid her head over Weiss’ neck, and the floor under their carpet was far too solid to be comfortable. Weiss honestly preferred sleeping on the grass.

“I suppose you may have a point,” Weiss admitted, eyeing the rather large, approximately circular bed more closely. As she imagined it, she figured that the two of them _would_ be able to fit relatively comfortably on it, while still _actually_ being able to snuggle. She even figured that they could push it up against Ruby’s dresser when they wanted to actually use it, and store it under Weiss’ bed when they didn’t.

“Okay, fine - I understand the dog bed now. But...” she eyed some of the smaller objects on the floor, next to the bed.

“The chew toys are a little much, you’re right,” Ruby admitted. “Yang and I actually used to have a few, when we were growing up.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her. _“Really?”_

“Dad tried _everything_ to keep us from bouncing off the walls once we could shift on our own,” Ruby laughed. “I’ll admit, it’s a bit weird at first, but... if you get over the initial ‘I’m an intelligent, sentient person chewing on something made for a pet’ thing... it can actually be a lot of fun.” She smiled at a memory. “We used to do little tug-of-wars, but Yang’s crazy strong so she’d always win. I figure I have a better chance against you.”

Weiss raised her eyebrow again. “Is that a challenge?”

Ruby laughed. “That’s the spirit!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Weiss said, rolling her eyes. Ruby just giggled, sidling up to her.

“C’mon, you know you love me,” she teased.

“Somehow, I still do,” Weiss said, her voice far too warm and affectionate for her actual statement to be biting. “So... okay. What made you decide to do all of this?”

“I’d actually been planning it out for a while,” Ruby admitted. “I’ve been saving up with my commission money about a week and a half since you were Turned - I figured I’d surprise you after your first moon.”

“That’s... actually very sweet,” Weiss said, wrapping her arms around Ruby. They pressed their foreheads together, already a practiced gesture by now.

“You know,” Weiss murmured, their noses just barely touching, “You didn’t have to spend your hard-earned money on this just for me. I managed to get my college fund away from my father, remember?”

“I remember,” Ruby said, her voice just as soft. “But that’s your _college_ fund. And you’re probably going to use it for Whitley too, right?”

“Winter offered to help, but I told her not to almost immediately,” Weiss said. “She didn’t get the chance to use any of her _own_ college fund, and now that she’s in law school... honestly, I think I’m going to give her about ten grand each year to help her get through that without too much debt.”

“Why ten grand?” Ruby asked. 

“Any more than that and she’ll have to pay taxes on it,” Weiss said. “I know because my father set up the Schnee Family Foundation as a way around it - people couldn’t give more than that to him directly, but they could make a much larger donation to the Foundation, which he could _basically_ spend however he pleased, provided that he kept up appearances about at helping the ‘less fortunate.’”

“Jeez,” Ruby said. Weiss nodded.

“I suppose that one tiny benefit to having a horribly corrupt businessman for a father is that you pick up a few finer details of monetary law and policy when you see him evade it,” Weiss admitted. Ruby snorted at that.

“Well, I guess it’s the little things that count,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I suppose so,” Weiss laughed.

They held their positions for a little while, content to just be in each others’ arms. Tuesdays meant back-to-back studio classes for Ruby, so Weiss hadn’t actually seen her since she had blearily woken up in her arms at around eight in the morning, before returning to sleep, as _her_ first class of the day didn’t begin until eleven. In reality, even _with_ Ruby’s little shopping trip, they still weren’t in any danger of even spending twelve consecutive hours apart, but considering that Ruby seemed to miss her just as much as she missed Ruby when they were separated for any length of time beyond an hour or two, Weiss was all too happy to use it as an excuse to soak up her warm embrace.

“Oh! There’s actually, uh, one more thing,” Ruby admitted, her cheeks starting to pink. “Now, before you see it - it’s _totally_ okay if you don’t like it, I won’t be offended or anything. I just... I figured you might want to try it out, and it wasn’t crazy expensive or anything, so...”

Weiss’ eyebrows were in her hairline at this point.

“Ruby, what on _earth_ did you buy me?”

Ruby’s face was _clearly_ still very nervous, as if she were about to reconsider even showing Weiss in the first place. Hesitantly, she dug into one of the plastic bags that she’d brought with her, but still didn’t take the final gift out just yet.

“So... remember how, on Parents and Family weekend, I gave you that leash and you walked me back to campus? So that I could fight off vampires for you on the way home?”

Weiss’ eyes narrowed in confusion, wondering how this could possibly be related. “I... yes? I’m just realizing now - why _did_ you have that leash and collar, anyways? Your family’s never owned an actual dog, right?”

“Well, that was kind of their intended purpose,” she admitted. “I mean - not specifically so I can be a guard dog for vampires, but... to keep up appearances, for when I wanted to go walking in my wolf in town.”

Weiss looked at her. _“Please_ don’t tell me that Yang did that for you. And _especially_ not your father, either.”

Ruby blushed. “No, no. The only other person to ever... _walk_ me, I guess, was, uh... my ex. From high school.”

“Oh,” Weiss said, her voice soft. “I’m sorry, I...”

“Don’t worry,” Ruby soothed. “You didn’t know. I just... I dunno, I was walking through the aisles, kinda giddy with all the stupid stuff I was picking up for us, and...”

Weiss looked at her, noting that the bag was still covering whatever object she had yet to show her.

“You bought me a collar, didn’t you?”

Ruby’s ears flattened against her head, her tail hanging low.

“I... um... maybe?”

The bag was finally pulled away, revealing a sturdy-looking collar, icy blue. Weiss stared at it for a moment. It seemed to mostly have the same style as Ruby’s red one - probably the same brand.

Well... if nothing else... it would certainly match her eyes.

Weiss just shook her head, a good-natured smile on her lips. She laughed a little bit, and took Ruby’s shoulders in her arms. 

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Well, if you’re taking suggestions, I generally like being kissed,” Ruby supplied.

Weiss immediately laughed, taking Ruby’s lips in her own. While they kissed, to her girlfriend’s surprise, she actually took the light leather collar from Ruby’s hands, gently pulling her a few steps closer to Weiss’ side of the room. When they made it to her dresser (and her full-length mirror) she pulled away, and began to flip her ponytail back and out of the way.

A near-silent gasp fell out of Ruby’s mouth as Weiss began to carefully fasten the collar around her neck, keeping it very loose so that it wouldn’t choke her if she shifted. She didn’t know _precisely_ what setting would be best in that form, but she figured that Ruby could adjust it and tell her later. Once it appeared to be properly on, Weiss turned back to Ruby, the collar bouncing softly against her chest.

“Well?” She asked. “What do you think?”

The burning red all over Ruby’s face was all the answer she needed.

* * *

“Hey,” Ruby said out of the blue, her voice surprisingly soft.

“Mm?” Weiss asked, looking up from her sociology homework. Ruby was facing her in her chair, her headphones hanging around her neck, her drawing around halfway finished.

“I...” Ruby paused, suddenly nervous. She scooted towards Weiss a little, and gently took both of Weiss’ hands in her own. Weiss blinked, now a little worried - this seemed rather serious, and out of nowhere.

“I... I was thinking,” Ruby said, looking away, letting go of one of Weiss’ hands for a moment to nervously scratch behind her ear. She turned back, though, and rejoined their hands. Taking a nervous breath, she continued, “Would you... would you wanna go and get dinner with me or something?”

“Is this your way of saying that you’re sick of always cooking for me?” Weiss asked, not understanding, but wanting to defuse the tension a little.

“No, no,” Ruby laughed. “I actually meant, um...” she looked away again, her cheeks getting noticeably pink. “Like... as a date?”  
“I... oh,” Weiss replied, totally surprised.

She and Ruby had been definitely together for over a week, and had basically been acting like a couple for the last _month,_ but they had never been on an actual date. The closest thing she could think of was the time that they went to see a movie with Blake and Yang.

“Yes!” she said, suddenly giddy. “Yes, let’s do it!”

“Wha- really?” Ruby said, as if she genuinely hadn’t been expecting that answer.

“Yes!” Weiss repeated. They both stood up, still holding hands. “Ruby, I’d _love_ to go on a date with you!”

“I mean, I just... we kinda skipped the ‘first date’ part and everything, so I was worried that you’d -”

“Ruby.” Weiss said, her voice definitive, but soft and reassuring. “I’d love to. It’s honestly a great idea - I know we’ve been living together and everything for a while now, but... I think we _should_ go on an actual, proper date.”

Ruby’s eyes softened, grateful. “Yeah. Yeah, okay! We’re going on a date!”

Weiss laughed - Ruby was clearly relieved, but her good humor had already returned.

“So, where are you taking me, gorgeous?” Weiss said, giving Ruby a playful wink.

“Well, it _is_ our first date, so I was thinking something casual,” Ruby said with a laugh. “Do you wanna do that burger place again? From the day we moved in?”

“That honestly sounds _lovely,”_ Weiss said. She’d really enjoyed the food there, and they hadn’t been back since. “What day were you thinking?”

“What’s your class schedule like on Fridays?” Ruby asked, as if she didn’t know.

“Oh, I’m usually pretty free.” 

“Great! I’ll meet you there at, oh... seven?”

“When you say you’ll meet me there, you _do_ know that we live together, right?”

“I know!” Ruby said, her confident smile not wavering even a little. “I was actually thinking of heading over to Blake and Yang’s place to get ready, and _then_ I can meet you there.”

“Oh, all right,” Weiss said, a little confused at this.

“Well I can’t have you seeing my outfit before the date starts!” Ruby said, indignant. “You have to meet me on the sidewalk outside the restaurant and be amazed by how pretty I look!”

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, Weiss gave Ruby a smile. “Fair enough. I suppose that works, then. Is it just going to be Yang helping you get ready, or...”

“Probably, yeah,” Ruby said. “She always told me that she’d _love_ to help me prepare for a date, soo...” she shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, if she isn’t busy with helping you, I figured I’d steal Blake,” Weiss said. “She has _such_ an eye for fashion and I wouldn’t mind a second opinion on my outfit.”

“Seems fair to me,” Ruby laughed.

They both met each others’ eyes for a moment, chuckling at the absurdity of their little negotiation. 

“We should text them to make sure they’re free to help us, shouldn’t we?” Weiss said.

“Absolutely, yes,” Ruby nodded. Both girls briefly pulled out their scrolls, sending texts that Weiss imagined Blake and Yang would see while in the same room.

Sure enough, Blake responded in less than two minutes, saying _Sounds like fun!_ right as Weiss heard Ruby’s scroll vibrate.

“Okay, seven seems to work!” Ruby said. She grinned. “I’ll meet you there.”

“We _could_ just go there together,” Weiss laughed.

“Yeah, but that’s not as _romantic!”_ Ruby insisted. She leveled her gaze at Weiss, giving her a flirty little wink. “I _do_ think I’d like to walk you home, though.”

Weiss just rolled her eyes, and their lips soon met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> If you haven't seen it yet, I uploaded a new bonus chapter, part of the next fic in this series, as a celebration for reaching 750 kudos! And now, the fic is already past 850, which is totally insane, so thank you all so much! The bonus chapter is super long and has a little bit of everything (five totally different scenarios) so I really hope you enjoy!  
> See you next chapter!
> 
> -Red


	25. Preparations

Jacques Schnee was rarely described as an angry man.

However, perhaps he _should_ be described that way more often. Almost every individual who interacted with him knew him only as the calm, collected businessman, whose professional mask never slipped. He could be cold, most certainly - and people correctly described him as such. The image that he presented was cool, shrewd. He was always generous in public, but _ruthless_ when it came to his business. Even then, though, Jacques always appeared restrained, calm, and precise. It did not even appear that this took him any effort, which was an extremely impressive lie.

On the inside, Jacques Schnee was almost always _furious._

“Damn that ungrateful, childish little _brat!”_ He screamed, sweeping all of the loose papers and such off of the desk in front of him in his rage. “And _damn_ that insufferable little wolf that’s been _protecting_ her - how dare she have the _gall_ to believe that _my_ daughter needs protection from -”

“S-sir?” A voice tepidly asked. Jacques’ head _whipped_ up at the interruption to see the face of a young man, a fledgling vampire, recently Turned to serve him and his organization. The servant’s voice warbled considerably at Jacques’ mere expression, but he somehow found the courage (or, much more likely, the _stupidity)_ to continue talking. “The team that you sent out to gather intelligence about Miss Schnee’s building has encountered an issue - it appears that there’s some kind of magical ward surrou-”

 **_“OUT!”_ ** Jacques bellowed, sweeping his hand as if to physically push the idiot out of his quarters. With the amount of his Sire’s influence that he forced into the command, he very well might have, despite the fact that the fledgling was nearly ten feet away from him. Jacques heard the door slam, something that he would have interpreted as disrespect under other circumstances, but which he undoubtedly knew only came from fear.

Jacques sat for a moment, seething.

Three weeks.

It had been _three weeks_ since his most recent attempt to bring Weiss to her rightful place at his side, but infiltrating Beacon College was proving _far_ more of a difficult endeavor than he’d anticipated. According to their human scouts, Weiss only left her dorm building during the day, except for her singular evening class each week. But, her walk home from _that_ was in an area surrounded by witnesses, and she had apparently begun to bring not one, but _three_ other werecreatures with her for the journey. The other two, he’d learned, were rather close by in an apartment, but finding any way to deal with them would likely only raise her suspicions further, and the girl could very easily skip her one class. His only chance was managing to get some of their loyal humans to ambush her on a new moon, but even _that_ would prove risky, and a frustrating amount of his time and resources had to be directed towards Turning new vampires in Vale...

He slammed his fist onto the desk in frustration, leaving a sizeable dent in the wood. He looked down at it with contempt - controlling his frankly absurd physical strength was difficult at the _best_ of times, and now he’d essentially ruined the place where he normally worked, and would likely have to replace it. Tempted to strike the desk again, as it was useless already, Jacques instead settled for throwing his chair to the ground, knowing it was sturdy enough to not be damaged.

With his anger only _slightly_ relieved, Jacques faced towards the window of his chamber, overlooking the irritatingly bright city of Vale. He wasn’t _quite_ able to find Beacon College - he knew it was somewhere past that large office building. He still stared in the infernal institution’s direction, as if he could project his anger over several hundred yards of urban sprawl to where _his_ daughter - what belonged to _him_ \- likely slept soundly, knowing that she was still “protected” by her infuriating little wolf.

His scroll rang once. Jacques debated simply letting it ring, until it made its sound a second time, and for the moment, his anger was bested by fear. Knowing the contact he had set to that precise sound, he was _extremely_ aware that ignoring this particular individual would be hazardous for his now-immortal health. Taking one brief moment to purposefully exhale (he had to inhale first - in his anger, he hadn’t bothered to make his dead lungs breathe for several minutes), he answered.

“Jacques.”

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Pack your things, you’re returning to Atlas tomorrow. Watts will discuss the remaining details with you upon your arrival.”

Jacques took in a shocked breath.  
“Y-your Grace, I don’t understand. This is so sudden, I haven’t yet obtai-”

_“Stop.”_

Jacques’ body seized up immediately, the cold blood in his dead veins literally ceasing to flow. He couldn’t even breathe, he could hardly _think_ as nearly every cell in his body simply _stopped,_ as if frozen in time. He knew this as his Sire’s control - he had felt it only a few times prior - and the only thing more terrifying than the _absolute_ manner in which his Sire could control his blood was how little effort he knew it required.

The voice on the other end of the line let out a tiny, inconvenienced sigh - as if he were a child who had broken something relatively inexpensive. 

“You’re referring to your daughter, yes?”

Jacques, still gripped by his Sire’s influence, was literally incapable of responding, but the affirmative answer was implied.

“I feared as much.”

Without warning, Jacques felt his limbs being dragged across the room, as if he were being telekinetically pulled. The tips of his polished white loafers dragged across the lush carpet, and his body was spun around and slammed against the window, making Jacques hear a faint _crack_ in the material from behind him.

“You have been given a _remarkably_ generous gift, Jacques. You are one of the most powerful vampires on this planet, and considering that this power is still relatively new to you, I _suppose_ I can understand that wielding it has led you to believe that you are free to pursue your own desires with it.”

Jacques felt the power literally holding his body aloft loosen for the slightest moment, allowing him to blink in confusion.

 _“However.”_ his Sire spat, and Jacques immediately felt the phantom grip around his entire body tighten to an impossible degree. He feared that his ribcage was about to be brutally crushed, like he were a porcelain doll in the fist of an uncaring child, before his Sire continued. “The _instant_ that you use this gift to place your priorities above my own...” Jacques slid another six inches up the window, creating more hairline fractures. “You will be _nothing_ but dust in the wind.”

His Sire ended the call with a swift _click,_ and the connection that was sustaining the phantom fist around Jacques’ torso also vanished, making him instantly fall about two feet to the floor, onto his knees. His scroll clattered uselessly out of his hands - Jacques would consider it a miracle that he’d been able to maintain his grip on it, but he knew that he hadn’t actually been able to drop the thing if he had tried.

Coughing, more out of instinct than actual bodily necessity, Jacques crawled forward to his dropped scroll, the screen lighting up just before he reached it.

_I’ve taken the liberty of charting the flight on your private jet._

_Do TRY not to screw this up as badly as you have with those daughters of yours._

_-W_

* * *

“Which one, do you think?” Weiss asked.

“Hmm,” Blake said, a thoughtful finger on her chin. Her eyes playfully narrowed, her tail flicking back and forth. “I’d go with... the white one!”

Weiss rolled her eyes, letting her arms sag, making the two white dresses that she was holding up gently brush against the carpet.

“Very funny,” she said, the indignation quite present in her voice. “You know, if you weren’t _actually_ intending to help me get ready for this date, you could have just stayed home.”

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t get to tease you about it,” she said, making Weiss roll her eyes even further.

“Yang’s _really_ rubbing off on you.”

“In more ways than one,” Blake said snidely, making Weiss momentarily blush. With a little laugh, she decided to ease up, and brought a hand to Weiss’ shoulder. “Hey. Come on, you don’t need to worry about this so much - it’s _Ruby.”_

“Exactly!” Weiss said, dropping the dresses onto her bed and throwing her arms up in frustration. “This isn’t just some first date - it’s my first actual date with _Ruby!_ Everything has to be perfect!”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Weiss, you and Ruby have been in love with each other for _weeks_ \- even if you didn’t know it then, it was _painfully_ obvious to everyone else. Plus, with everything that you two have been through by now, do you _really_ think she’s going to pay too much attention to your _dress?”_

“That’s not the point and you know it,” Weiss said, her tone mellowing nonetheless. “I just... I want her to really enjoy tonight - my only regret about all of this is that _I_ didn’t think to ask her on a proper date in the first place. I... I want to look good for her. I want to start to repay all of the _amazing_ things she’s done for me, and...”

Blake stopped her, meeting her eyes.

“Weiss, you shouldn’t view your relationship with Ruby as some... token exchange. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to want to reciprocate things - but I’m _pretty_ sure that Ruby actually wants you to enjoy yourself tonight. So stop worrying so much about what looks the best, and start maybe thinking about what you could wear that will let you have _fun.”_

Weiss appeared to consider that for a moment, her brows furrowing.

Blake laughed. “Besides, isn’t she taking you to a _burger place?_ I mean, I know you like to overdress, but...”

Weiss’ eyes lit up. “I’ve got it!” She said, zipping to their shared closet and flicking through the hangers, her tail gently wagging back and forth as she hunted for whatever garment she was apparently seeking. Triumphantly, Weiss turned around, holding a red flannel shirt in her hands, the sleeves already rolled up.

“Ah-HA!” She said, looking down at the shirt. “I honestly thought Ruby had torn up her only shirt like this the night she Turned me, but apparently she still had _two_ others that are nearly identical. What do you think?”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “So that’s not even yours?”

“Nope!” Weiss said happily. “But Ruby thinks it’s _really_ cute when we trade clothes. Plus... I should probably at least _attempt_ to dress casually.”

Blake smiled. “All righty, _now_ we’re getting somewhere.”

Weiss nodded, honestly a little relieved. “What pants will match, do you think?”

“Those black jeans you wore to Oobleck’s class last week,” Blake said, immediately causing Weiss to blink in surprise at Blake’s apparent knowledge of her wardrobe. Apparently, it really _had_ been an excellent idea to ask for her input.

“These?” Weiss asked, opening her drawer and holding them up.

“Yup!” Blake replied. “Bring a belt, though.”

Weiss nodded at that, understanding how it would tie the look together. Blake turned her back as Weiss started to change, but she still talked over her shoulder.

“Just promise me that you’ll have _fun_ tonight, okay? That’ll help Ruby have fun, too.”

“I promise,” Weiss said, as if Blake were an overbearing parent.

“Good,” Blake said immediately. “Are you decent?”

“Yes,” Weiss replied, and Blake turned around. She looked Weiss over, and then gave her a smile and a thumbs-up.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to pull off ‘futch lesbian chic,’ but this is a pleasant surprise,” Blake said. Weiss just rolled her eyes, wrapping Blake into a hug.

“Thank you,” she said. “I really appreciated your help.” She pulled away, giving Blake a smile that was somewhere between amused and annoyed. “Though you _could_ have given me fashion advice without spending so much time making fun of me.”

“I’m your best friend,” Blake said, putting her hand over her heart, “Therefore, it is my sworn duty to provide both.”

Weiss smiled - she’d called Blake her best friend that Saturday morning, after the moon, and this was the first time that Blake had expressed the same sentiment.

“Very well,” Weiss sighed, still smiling at Blake’s statement. “Now shoo - I have to do makeup that’ll match this!”

“Go for a red eyeshadow,” Blake said, getting her shoes at the door. She turned, and gave Weiss a grin. “And if you need sex advice, you know who to call.”

Weiss’ _entire face_ went as red as her borrowed flannel.

* * *

Yang leaned back for a moment, having _barely_ avoided getting eyeliner on Ruby’s cheek as she twitched with excitement.

Again.

“Okay, Rubes, you _need_ to chill or you’re gonna vibrate out of existence,” she said.

“Sorry!” Ruby replied, not making even the slightest effort to stop bouncing in her chair. “I’m just _so_ excited! I’m going on a date - a _real_ date, with Weiss! I just - _gah_ how can you expect me to not be excited?!?”

Yang rolled her eyes, purposefully slowing down her movements in hope that Ruby would follow suit. “I know, I know, just... at _least_ let me finish your makeup first?”

“Fine, fine,” Ruby said, as if she was perfectly comfortable going out with one eye sporting a tasteful winged eyeliner look and the other only halfway done, but was only putting up with this for Yang’s sake. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Yang laughed, gently leaning back in and cupping Ruby’s opposite cheek once more. “But we still have _plenty_ of time before you’re supposed to be there, okay?”

“Okay...” Ruby murmured, managing to keep herself still with a frankly Herculean effort.

“Good,” Yang said, capping her eyeliner. “Now, all we need is mascara, and you’ll be all set to sweep Weiss off her feet.”

Ruby chuckled at that, bringing a smile to Yang’s face as she worked.

There was silence for a moment as the sisters moved in tandem, Yang gently settling the mascara wand amongst Ruby’s surprisingly long lashes, with Ruby slowly blinking as Yang curled the wand upwards and away from her face. Once one eye was finished, Ruby spoke up.

“Do you think Weiss and Blake are gonna be a Pack with us?”

Yang blinked, stopping at the question. 

“I dunno, Rubes - it really depends on them, I guess.” She met her sister’s eyes, noticing a tiny clump in the mascara. She reached her hand out to gently pull it from Ruby’s lashes, only to have her lean back in confusion.

“Just keep your eye open for a sec,” Yang said softly, removing the small clump as soon as Ruby complied. Yang went to go wipe her hand on a tissue before continuing. “What brought this on?” She asked, settling back down in her chair.

“I dunno,” Ruby said, a tiny note of frustration in her voice. “I just... I know it’s like... a _lot,_ for both of them, but...”

“But you’re really hoping they say yes,” Yang supplied.

“Y-yeah,” Ruby admitted. “Like, I know it’s a big decision or whatever, and Weiss usually likes to take her time with those...”

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Last I checked, the biggest life decision she made in recent memory was letting you Turn her, and she chose to do that, what... _two_ minutes after you suggested it?”

“More like one,” Ruby admitted. “But that’s just one example - normally it takes her a while. This time she’s not bleeding out in an alleyway or anything.”

“True, true,” Yang said. She gave Ruby a knowing smile. “Sorry to say it, Rubes, but you’re gonna have to get used to the fact that your girlfriend’s not as stupidly impulsive as you are.”

“Hey!” Ruby said, crossing her arms. “I’m not impulsive!”

“Sure you’re not,” Yang chuckled. “Just c’mere and let me finish your mascara.”

Ruby sighed, but agreed, scooting forwards once more.

“I see what you mean, though,” Yang said after a moment. “I mean, I’ve _loved_ living with Blake for this past year or so. When Su- er... _Mom_ died, I... I didn’t know if I’d ever have a Pack again. But after spending time with you, Blake, _and_ Weiss... I’m starting to believe it’s possible.”

“Yeah,” Ruby said softly. “I just... I dunno. I’m looking forward to really having a _family_ again, y’know? Not that Dad’s not family or anything, but...”

Yang just nodded, getting her meaning. They both still loved their father dearly, but they knew that losing Summer had essentially turned him off to every aspect of his lycanthropy that wasn’t absolutely forced upon his body by the moon. They certainly couldn’t _blame_ him or anything - frankly, Yang could hardly imagine just going for a run in her wolf or going hunting because she didn’t want to cook if she knew that Blake wouldn’t ever be there to join her. But still, they had missed out on having those experiences with anyone except each other for most of their lives, so the idea of getting to _actually_ have a Pack - to designate an official family, one formally recognized by other weres...

“I don’t know how, but I’m _actually_ looking forward to all the boring, logistical stuff,” Yang said. “Like. I can’t _wait_ for the Committee to tell us that we can’t take a section of the territory we want because it’s on the route for city parades or whatever. The stupid stuff like that? It’s...”

“... kinda exciting?” Ruby asked, laughing at the absurdity.

“Yeah,” Yang said. “Why is that exciting?”

Ruby shrugged. “Because it’s a problem that we’ll all have to deal with, as a Pack. Sure, it’s boring, annoying, and probably tedious, but...” she smiled. “But we get to do it with our girls. With our family.”

Yang smiled at the concept, nodding. She chuckled. “We’re really just a pair of saps, aren’t we?”

“Yup!” Ruby chirped happily.

“Yeah,” Yang murmured. Wordlessly, she finished up Ruby’s mascara.

“Okay!” Ruby said, bouncing to her feet. She checked her scroll, nodding as she threw on her jacket. “All righty, I should probably get going - thanks _so_ much for helping me get ready!”

Before Yang knew it, a pair of hoodie-clad arms smacked into her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She hadn’t even put her makeup away.

“You’re very welcome,” she replied, returning the hug. When Ruby lingered for a moment, Yang found herself leaving a gentle, matronly kiss on her sister’s head. Ruby gave her a grin before she charged to the door, immediately plopping down to tie her shoes.

“You and Weiss had better be home before ten!” Yang called as she brought her makeup supplies back to her bedroom. 

“Fiiine,” Ruby said, and Yang could _hear_ her rolling her eyes. When she came back out, Ruby was back to standing, her shoes all tied and ready to go. She was sporting a wicked grin.

“Well? Go have fun,” Yang said.

“Okay!” Ruby said, turning.

“Home before ten.” Yang reminded.

Ruby gave Yang a playful wink over her shoulder. “Okay. But we _will_ be going to the same place, sooo...” Yang barely had time to cross her arms before Ruby immediately blurted, “Okay bye Yang I’m gonna go see you later love you!” And with that, she was off, the door slamming a little too hard at her exit.

Yang rolled her eyes, pulling out her scroll to text Ruby a quick _Love you too, jerk_ before swiping over to Blake.

_Rubes just left, probably gonna sprint to the burger place._

_How’s the Ice Queen doing?_

Blake’s response was almost immediate. 

_Surprisingly well. I managed to talk her into a casual outfit._

_Weiss? Casual?_

_Belladonna, you are *magic.*_

Blake sent over a heart, and then a few laughing emotes.

_I certainly do try._

_Just left their room a bit ago - I’ll be home in ~30 w/ pizza_

_Awesome, see you!_

Yang smiled down at her scroll as she and Blake exchanged their usual parting messages - a purple heart for Blake, and a yellow one for Yang. They each left a reaction on the other’s message with a heart of their own color. Yang didn’t know when they’d started doing it, but it had become second-nature by now.

She sat back on the couch. Seeing as she apparently had thirty minutes to kill, as Blake was picking up their dinner on her way home, she wondered at how to spend the time. Her face suddenly brightened, and she put her feet up on the table, thumbing over to a scroll contact that she hadn’t reached out to in a few months.

“Yang? What are you doing calling at this hour? Don’t you know I’m _closed?”_

“Hey, Maria,” Yang replied with a chuckle. “I know it’s kinda late, but I wanted to ask - as a Committee member, what can you tell me about theoretically starting a Pack?”

* * *

Ruby changed her position against the wall of the burger joint for the fifth time, _trying_ not to look like she was waiting for someone. She knew that the restaurant was way closer to Yang and Blake’s apartment than it was to their own dorm room, and she’d been waiting less than five minutes, but it was still _torture_ as she waited for Weiss to show up - this was _finally_ their first date!

“Ruby?”

At the sound of her name, Ruby’s head _immediately_ whipped up, and she stopped dead, almost gawking at the beautiful woman before her.

Weiss had taken a _major_ leap away from her usual color scheme - she wore a pair of tall brown boots over black designer jeans, with a not-too-fancy grey fabric belt on her waist, the leftover material past the buckle being allowed to hang free instead of being layered over itself through the loops again. Most surprisingly, Weiss had apparently taken one of Ruby’s flannel shirts, a red and black which was a lovely compliment to her complexion - she wore it unbuttoned, over a simple white t-shirt. 

Her makeup was relatively simple - bold eyeliner and mascara as always, with a hint of red eyeshadow that had been used quite sparingly. The look was completed with a subtle pink lipstick, not too far off from her natural shade, but still enough to be noticeable.

She looked _amazing._

“Weiss!” Ruby said, practically leaping off the wall and pulling her gorgeous girlfriend into her arms. She pulled away, meeting her eyes. “You look _beautiful_ tonight.”

“Th-thank you,” Weiss said, nervously pushing her bangs out of her eyes. She gave Ruby a weak but enthusiastic grin, taking in her outfit. “You’re... _radiant,_ as always.”

Ruby’s cheeks warmed at the compliment. She hadn’t dressed up _too_ much - just enough to pull off a ‘casual’ look. She had a well-fitted pair of blue skinny jeans, ending in her favorite pair of red high-top sneakers. The space between her shoes and jeans just _barely_ showed off the fact that her socks had little rainbows on them. On her upper layer, she had on her favorite red hoodie, perfect for the weather, and beneath it was a grey top that had the faces of four lady superheroes that she’d watched on TV as a kid printed on its front, as well as the phrase “Hero Vibes.”

She’d topped off the look with Yang’s signature “going out” winged eyeliner and mascara, and hadn’t been able to resist her sister’s offer of a bold red lip stain, which made her normally bright and chipper complexion just the _slightest_ bit darker and... if she was honest... more sexy. Yang had _insisted_ that it wouldn’t rub off too easily, but Ruby had been instructed to drink her beverage of choice that evening carefully, and with a straw.

  
Weiss gave Ruby a smile as she took in her girlfriend’s outfit. With a flirty little wink, she said, “I see that you’ve borrowed my hoodie.”

Ruby laughed. “Weiss, this is _my_ hoodie. It has been for years.”

“No, you gave it to me on Saturday,” Weiss replied immediately, referring to the morning after her first full moon. “That means it’s mine now, and _you’re_ the one borrowing it. Those are the rules.”

“That’s the last time I give you some of my clothing, apparently,” Ruby laughed. “Speaking of, did you _also_ have to take my flannel?” Ruby’s words had no bite to them - she’d already told Weiss how amazing she looked in red, and was genuinely delighted to see Weiss borrowing some of her clothes, if only because of how _good_ she looked when she wore them.

“Yes,” Weiss said immediately. She smiled, because she knew _exactly_ how much Ruby actually minded.

Without another word, Ruby offered Weiss her arm, and she immediately looped hers inside of it, letting Ruby escort her into the burger joint like a couple in a period romance.

Ruby couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

* * *

“Hi!” Ruby said to the man standing at the front of the restaurant, once she and Weiss came up in line. Weiss was a tad worried - there were a few other groups waiting at the entrance, and all of the tables appeared to be full. She hoped they wouldn’t have to wait too long, but then Ruby spoke up again. “Reservation for ‘Ruby Rose?’”

The man scrolled through a list on his little tablet for a moment before his eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah - you’re right on time! Your table’s around the corner, there,” he said, pointing.

Ruby gave him a chipper nod, and took Weiss’ hand to lead her around to a slightly more secluded area, where a small table for two leaned against the wall. Before Weiss could sit down, Ruby had deftly moved past her, pulling out a chair and offering it to her.

“This place takes _reservations?”_ Weiss asked, blushing at Ruby’s chivalry as she gently pushed her chair in.

“Apparently, yeah,” Ruby said with a laugh. “After I asked you out, I figured that there’s a _chance_ that a burger joint would be pretty crowded on a Friday night at seven, so... I called ahead.”

Weiss blinked. Ruby _hated_ phone calls - she avoided them whenever possible, even with family and friends, massively preferring to text.

“Thank you for thinking to do that,” Weiss said, hoping that Ruby knew she understood the effort behind the gesture.

“No problem,” Ruby said, her smile telling Weiss that her appreciation was known. She looked down at the menu, considering. “So, what were you thinking of getting? I’m in the mood for some hot dogs this time around.”

Weiss checked her own menu, considering. “If you’ll forgive me, I think I’ll be boring and have that same cheeseburger as last time - I...” the sentence _died_ on her lips as she looked back up at Ruby, who had ‘casually’ taken her hoodie off, revealing that her grey top had absolutely no sleeves whatsoever, showing her positively magnificent biceps off to the world - but most importantly, to Weiss.

 _That is not fair!_ Weiss screamed inside her head. _That’s not fair at all!_

“The cheeseburger sounds good,” Ruby said. “Wanna split a large fry?” As soon as she finished speaking, the devilish glint in her eye told Weiss _everything_ she needed to know about how intentional Ruby’s little hoodie maneuver had been. 

“I’m not opposed,” Weiss said, somehow managing to regain her composure. Emboldened by Ruby’s open flirting, she allowed her left foot to gently reach out under the table, running it up the inside of Ruby’s leg. “But,” she said, a flirtatious lilt in her voice, “That’s only if you promise not to eat them all before I get a chance to have any.”

Ruby’s cheeks were _definitely_ red - and not just from the October chill outside. She let out a slight cough, gratefully accepting the ice water that their waiter had brought, almost immediately tossing in a straw and taking a greedy sip. Weiss confidently ordered her meal as Ruby recovered, quite pleased with herself.

“And a strawberry shake,” Weiss concluded. “Thank you so much.”

“Sounds great!” The waiter said. “And for you?”

“Vanilla shake,” Ruby began, doing her best to avoid Weiss’ flirty smile as she finished up with the rest of her order. The waiter nodded after taking them down, and turned to bring it off to the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of eyesight, Ruby affixed Weiss with a fake wounded look.

“If you plan to flirt with me, you should know that I play to win,” Weiss said simply, causing her girlfriend to _immediately_ roll her eyes and smile.  
“I guess I’ll keep that in mind,” Ruby laughed. Her eye glimmered dangerously. “You’re on, Princess.”

A familiar warmth began to build in Weiss’ chest, as well as her cheeks. Ruby had _never_ called her that outside of their own room, but she’d done it knowing that nobody else was actually listening, despite their _very_ public location. Butterflies immediately began to dance in Weiss’ stomach as Ruby gave her an unapologetic smirk, once again sipping her water.

Weiss was in more trouble than she thought.

  
  


* * *

Something buzzed.

Winter Schnee’s hand darted to the tiny device in her lapel pocket with _almost_ supernatural dexterity to prevent it from making further noise, pulling it into her lap. Her eyes glanced up in fear, but fortunately the trial before her hadn’t been noticeably interrupted by the sound, so she checked the screen. Winter always put her scroll on a “Do Not Disturb” mode when she was observing a trial - the only way that it could actually make noise in this mode was if the call was from Robyn, or if the same person had called her three times in the last five minutes.

Upon checking the screen, Winter saw that it was the latter.

“Excuse me,” she muttered to the professor beside her, moving to stand. He raised an eyebrow, but nodded - they’d been at this for a few hours now without a recess, so it wasn’t unreasonable that she would need to use the bathroom or something of that sort. Quietly, Winter slid away (she was _very_ thankful that she’d ended up with an aisle seat) and walked out of the courtroom.

“Whitley? What -”

“Father’s returning to Atlas tomorrow, Klein just told me.”

Winter’s heart seized up in her chest.

“Have you heard from Weiss, is she -”

“I don’t know, I literally just heard.” Winter heard some rather hurried movements, as well as the sound of a zipper, far too long to be a jacket or coat. 

Whitley was packing.

Well, whatever Weiss had managed to tell him about vampirism was apparently enough to convince him it was real.

Winter curtly nodded.

“I assume you’re leaving?” She asked, cringing at the phrase. Winter hadn’t meaningfully spoken to her brother in nearly seven years, and hadn’t heard a _thing_ from him in the last three. Despite all the progress that she’d made as a person, she found herself sinking into the excessively formal tone that had been drilled into her in her youth. 

“No, Winter, I’m just going to let our father, a man who has tried to make you _and_ Weiss into vampires, eternally under his control, just _waltz_ into the same building as me and really hope that he doesn’t bite my neck.” 

Winter blinked. Apparently her brother did not suffer from the same conversational difficulties.

“Do you have anywhere to go?” Winter asked, her tone a bit more sympathetic.

Whitley let out a very long, very tired sigh. It was as if the pomp and circumstance had been drained out of him at that - like he was an actor rehearsing an over-the-top character monologue, but he’d given up halfway through and returned to his normal speaking voice.

“I don’t.”

Winter nodded, choosing to push the depressing thought that her brother had apparently made absolutely no friends with whom he could stay overnight during his high school career thus far, and focused on solutions.

“Take your things to the staff entrance at the side of the manor. One of my roommates should be home -” Winter swapped to the speakerphone function and immediately began to type out a message to their five-person group chat “- and whoever is there will take Joanna’s car to pick you up. You can stay in our spare room.”

“O-okay,” Whitley said, his voice ever so slightly beginning to tremble at the reality of his situation. Winter’s heart - cold since birth, briefly dead, and then finally revived and warmed by the most amazing woman that she’d ever met - broke for her little brother as he gave up so many of his belongings and the only home he’d ever known in exchange for his safety.

“May says she’s heading there right now,” Winter said, sighing in relief as she got the message. “Robyn won’t be home for another twenty minutes or so, but she said she can get our spare room ready for you.”

Whitley didn’t say anything, but Winter couldn’t really blame him.

“Whitley. You...” she sighed. “You’re going to be all right. I promise.”

Whitley sighed again, quiet.

“You should get going,” Winter said, her voice soft. “I’d imagine that most of the staff is still loyal to Father - May can handle herself, but I’d prefer if Father wasn’t _immediately_ informed about how you left, and with whom.”

“R-right,” Whitley said, making a sniffle that was clearly forcing down unshed tears. “Is... is there anything that you want me to get for you?”

Winter stopped, awestruck. Whitley had always been the most materialistic of the three of them - he’d owned more articles of clothing than she and Weiss combined, and despite being only fifteen, he already had _three_ luxury watches. The concept of her younger brother offering up some of his _very_ limited space to her was something that she honestly would never have expected from him.

“No,” Winter said, rather definitively. “Ask Weiss.” She’d be amazed if her father hadn’t burned whatever remained of any of her old possessions at this point, and most of them were probably old clothes that no longer fit anyways. She pondered for a moment, though, and remembered. “Do... do you think that Mother would come with you?”

The sounds of Whitley’s hurried packing stopped for a moment as he considered that, and then they resumed. “I doubt it, but if she’s coherent... I’ll try.”

“Thank you,” Winter said. She had absolutely _no_ idea what she would actually do with their mother, if she even decided to attend Whitley to come live with two half-vampires and three werewolves, or how _any_ of that would go down, but such details would be discussed when she knew her brother was safe, and not a moment before. “And, I... I’m so sorry.”

Whitley paused.

“I know.”

He ended the call.

Winter let her head slump back against the wall of the hallway outside the courtroom, emotionally exhausted by the conversation and everything it implied. She began typing to Weiss, though, and was relieved when her response was immediate.

  
  


_Are you safe?_

_Yes. Ruby and I are both home now - Whitley told us everything._

_Blake and Yang are safe, too._

Her sister began typing and paused for a moment, as if wondering how to phrase what she was going to say.

_Is... is he going to be okay?_

_I don’t know._

_But he’ll be safe - we’ll all make sure of it._

  
  


With nothing else to be said, Winter sighed, debating whether it was even worthwhile to return to the courtroom.

However, the decision was evidently made for her, as the audience all began filing out - the trial had apparently concluded for the week, to resume the following Monday. Winter, relieved, quickly pocketed her scroll and exited the courthouse. After giving her professor a wave to let him know she was leaving, she began her long and worrying trip home. 

Her scroll buzzed again, and her hand flew to it.

“Whitley? What happened, are you all ri-”

“Hey, hey, it’s me,” Robyn said softly. “I just got home and I’m setting up the room for him.” She paused, worried. “Are you doing okay?”

“I don’t know,” Winter admitted.

“Okay,” Robyn exhaled, as if she were expecting this answer. “When will you be home?”

“Leaving now,” Winter said.

Robyn just made an affirmative sound. The silence between them hung in the air for a moment, as neither woman knew what to say, but both wanted to stay on the line.

“Hey,” Robyn said again, her voice even softer this time. “It’s going to be okay, Snowflake. We’ll figure this out.” She allowed herself a tiny chuckle. “I doubt that Joanna will enjoy her home office becoming a bedroom for a fourteen-year-old, but -”

“Fifteen,” Winter interrupted. “Whitley’s fifteen.”

She could practically hear Robyn’s smile over the phone. “You still tracked his birthdays?” She asked, her voice warm and full of hope.

“Of course I did,” Winter scoffed, a little embarrassed admitting this on her walk, though no one around was paying her any mind. “Weiss will be nineteen in January.”

Robyn let out a good-natured laugh. Winter heard a heavy, fabric-y sound as she likely unfurled their spare comforter to finish making the bed.

“I... I know you never had much of a relationship with your siblings,” Robyn said, her voice soft and careful. “But... I’m really happy that Whitley is gonna be part of your life again.”

“We’ll see how happy you are about it after you get to know him,” Winter threatened.

Winter could not actually _see_ her girlfriend, but she could almost psychically observe Robyn placing a hand on her hip, admonishing her.

“C’mon, Sweetheart,” Robyn said. “Fiona’s _great_ with kids, and...” she paused. “And you know how I feel about them.”

Winter’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment - were they having _this_ conversation? Now, with everything else going on?

“Robyn, I -”

“I know, you hate kids and you never want any,” Robyn said.

“I don’t _hate_ kids,” Winter argued.

“You glare at babies in strollers whenever we pass them.”

Winter sighed.   
“Maybe I hate kids a little.”

Robyn laughed - to Winter’s relief, it was still warm. She wasn’t _too_ upset.

“Yeah,” she said. “But... while it’s not exactly adoption or anything, your brother’s still fifteen. That means he’ll need a guardian, for three years at least, and after the emancipation trial...”

“I... I know,” Winter said, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was _not_ the conversation she’d been expecting to have with Robyn when she woke up this morning. “Listen, let’s just...”

“Yeah, I know,” Robyn said. “One day at a time.”

“Right,” Winter said. “You know, if he stays here for two nights and Father calls for him, he’s legally a runaway. It’s _technically_ a misdemeanor to harbor him.”

“Sure,” Robyn replied, unimpressed. “And you _aren’t_ a very well-informed law student who could easily argue that she was doing this to protect her younger brother from the abuse she suffered as a child, nor could you cite your father’s demonstrable neglect or your mother’s alcoholism as legitimate reasons for Whitley to petition for emancipation. And that’s not even mentioning what _Weiss_ has been through these past few months.”

Winter tightened her grip on the bridge of her nose. She suddenly regretted having Robyn help her study for her all the tests she took as a Criminal Justice major.

“He _may_ not be able to prove financial independence,” she argued weakly.

“Winter,” Robyn replied, not even entertaining the idea.

 _“Fine,”_ she said, frustrated. “We’ll just... we’ll see, after those two nights. Okay?”

“Okay,” Robyn said, her voice gentle. She spoke away from the receiver for a moment, then returned. “Jo’s home, she was gonna grab a pizza since we have no idea what he eats. Want her to swing by the hospital for us, too?”

“That would be lovely,” Winter admitted, and Robyn relayed this to Joanna. She might have forgotten to bring any blood from home to have along with her lunch, and the stress of her day was beginning to weigh on her. They had plenty frozen, but some fresher blood would do her a world of good. “Robyn, I... if he’s returning early to Atlas...”

“I know, Sweetheart,” Robyn said, her voice once again soft. “Whatever it is, it’s not _good,_ but Weiss is safe. Maybe he’s given up.”

“My father does not usually ‘give up’ on things,” Winter replied. “Once, he spent far more time and money on a merger than his company would realistically gain from it - he poured cash into slanderous news stories, even some lawsuits. He told me that he pursued the company so relentlessly to teach others what happens when they try to tell him ‘no.’” She exhaled. “I was six years old.”

“Setting aside how absolutely fucked-up that is for a moment,” Robyn said, genuinely shaken, “Whatever happens, _we’re_ not giving up, either.” She paused, and her voice returned even softer. “The wolves told me they’d _fight_ him if they have to.”

“They shouldn’t let themselves get wrapped up in this,” Winter said, frustrated.

“Have you _ever_ met any of them?” Robyn laughed. “Winter, any and all of those girls would happily claw a man to death if he _looked_ at you funny. Do you _really_ think they’re going to let your dad hurt your brother?”

Winter had to admit that was fair. Once, she and May had gone grocery shopping together and a man had catcalled Winter on the way home. Winter had attempted to ignore it, but May had chosen to respond.

She’d never seen a man run with such _fear_ before.

“Well... I appreciate it,” she finally sighed. She looked up, the train station was just across the street. “Here, I’m about to get on the train - see you at home?”

“Okay,” Robyn replied. She paused for a moment, adding, “We’re _all_ going to be here for you, Winter. I promise.” Winter blinked - Robyn _rarely_ used her first name, and on the occasions that she did, she was deathly serious.

“I...” Winter paused, with nothing to say. Soon, a tiny phrase came to mind.

“I love you.”

She could _hear_ Robyn’s smug smile. “I know you do. Get home soon, okay?”

Winter nodded, resolute. “I will.”

She ended the call.

Winter stared out the window of her train car - these four stops had never been so _slow_ before, though her nerves were likely a major contributor. She shook her head to clear it. Traffic was horrible this time of night, and the Schnee manor was practically on the other side of Atlas, so she would still undoubtedly be home before May returned with Whitley.

 _Father,_ she thought, her eyes narrowing in anger as the horrible man entered her mind, _Whatever game it is that you think you’re playing..._

_We won’t let you win._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> This chapter was weirdly tough for some reason - the little segment at the end took a while, so I apologize if it feels a little off in comparison to my usual stuff.  
> However, I believe that The Werewolf of Beacon as a single fic is drawing to a close - I'm not *quite* comfortable guessing the exact number of chapters left, but it's probably somewhere between three and five. Considering how absurdly long the fic is already, I'll see how things go, but I *eventually* want to move on to... well... a sequel, because I apparently have no self-control whatsoever.  
> I'll have more information as things go on, but regardless, thank you *so much* to everyone who has read and enjoyed this fic. See you next chapter!
> 
> -Red


	26. All Hallowed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't let the title spook you - it's just a fluffy Halloween chapter.
> 
> -Red

“Right, so... remind me what you’re supposed to be?”

Yang turned around, offended by Weiss’ question.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked, striking a pose - her toy axe went up on her shoulder, her yellow flannel shirt a nice contrast to her torn work jeans. “I’m a lumberjack!”

Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to Blake. “She forgot to make a costume until this morning, didn’t she?”

“Yup,” Blake said, making a small ‘pop’ with her lips.

Blake herself, to no one’s surprise, had gone all out for the occasion - Weiss still recognized her from her hair and her eyes, but she had otherwise nearly covered her face with fake scar makeup, and was borrowing some of Yang’s torn clothes that were on their way to becoming rags that she used to wash Bumblebee. If not for her ears and tail, which were currently out as the trio waited for Ruby to finish getting ready, she would have looked _exactly_ like an extra in a zombie movie.

“Hey!” Yang said, irritated at their teasing. “I’m not _just_ a lumberjack - check it out!” She unbuttoned her flannel to reveal a white undershirt with three distinct gashes in it. If Weiss had to guess, Yang might have _actually_ made the cut with her own claws. “I was attacked by a mysterious creature in the woods,” Yang explained, her voice taking on the tone of someone telling a scary story at a campfire. “And now, when the full moon rises...” she briefly hid her face away from Blake and Weiss, paused a moment for effect, and shouted “I _transform!”_

As she said it, she whipped her head back towards the pair, revealing her blood-red eyes, her long, wolfish teeth, and a pair of furry yellow claws where her hands used to be, which were extended towards Weiss in a mock threat. 

“Oh no, a horrible werewolf!” Blake shouted, clapping her hands to her cheeks in fear. Her performance would put any soap opera star to shame. “What ever shall I do?”

“That’s right,” Yang said, letting a growl enter her voice. “If you’re not careful, this big, bad werewolf will gobble you up!” She snatched Blake up in her arms, the pair erupting into a giggling fit.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “You’re _already_ a werewolf, Yang.”

“Yeah, but today I get to indulge in it!” She said with a laugh. “I can _finally_ walk around campus with my ears out!”

Ruby had previously explained to Weiss that Halloween was the only day that werecreatures could walk around with their ears out without raising any suspicion, though their tails were a bit _too_ realistic to pass as costumes. Weiss had considered dressing up as something that would reasonably constitute having a pair of wolf ears on her head, but considering that Coco had invited them to a were-friendly party where it would be safe to do so anyways, Weiss had figured that it wouldn’t be necessary.

In fact, for the occasion, Weiss had instead chosen to dress as a skeleton - she’d found the single black crop top that she owned, bought a pair of cheap black pants at a store near campus, and asked to borrow some of Ruby’s white paint. She had then learned about the existence of fabric paint, which Ruby recommended over something meant for a canvas, and had spent the last few nights this week drawing some very simple bones on the outfit - mostly just arm and leg bones, with ribs on her chest and a spine on her back. She’d decided against a fully painted face like Blake had gone for, but she _had_ used the black eyeshadow in her palette for the very first time.

Speaking _of_ makeup...

“Ruby, are you almost ready?” Weiss asked.

“Just one more sec!” She replied, her voice echoing from the bathroom.

“And you’re _sure_ you don’t want my help?” Blake called.

“Yeah, I am!” She said. “I know you’re the makeup queen, but I’m an artist, I can do this!”

“You’re not _that_ kind of artist, Rubes,” Yang said with a shake of her head.

“Lipstick’s not _that_ hard! And don’t patronize me!”

The three girls chuckled as they returned to their conversation.

“So... how many people do you think will be at the party?” Weiss asked, not hiding her nervousness as well as she’d hoped.

“Coco said anywhere from fifty to a hundred,” Blake said with a shrug. “I shouldn’t be surprised that there are that many mythical creatures at Beacon, but I guess I’m a little surprised that so many will be in the same place tonight.”

Weiss thought back to the previous Sunday, when Coco and Velvet had come over to her room for some of Ruby’s pancakes, and had invited the four of them. 

“It’ll be so much fun!” Velvet had said. “It’ll be all weres and vampires and witches and stuff, so we’ll all be able to be ourselves there!”

“Yeah, we both went last year,” Coco had said. She rolled her eyes. “I just hope that Sun doesn’t make me enchant the lights again this year.”

“Oh, he _definitely_ will,” Velvet had laughed, leaning into her. “But you guys should come! It can be your first social gathering as a Pack!”

Ruby _may_ have let slip that the four of them were considering becoming an official Pack of werecreatures, but apparently Velvet had misinterpreted. Yang hopped in to clarify that they weren’t anything _official_ as of yet, and had shot Weiss and Blake an apologetic look. It was the last time they’d really spoken about it as a group.

“Okay!” Ruby said, pulling Weiss out of her reverie as she confidently threw the bathroom door open. “Are we ready?”

Ruby was, for the very first time that Weiss could recall, wearing a color besides red, black, white, or grey. The massive orange pumpkin face on her chest was _quite_ unusual on her girlfriend’s frame, though Weiss had to admit that it complimented her. The costume was mostly made up of a form-fitting orange dress that accentuated Ruby’s figure and then transformed into a rather poofy tulle skirt near her waist. Ruby also wore tights with orange and black stripes all up her legs, as well as a very bold lipstick combination - black on her top lip, and orange on her bottom one. The look was completed with some green eyeshadow in place of the pumpkin stem - the costume had come with a headpiece, but Ruby had forgone it in favor of letting her ears out when they got to the party.

“I think we’re all set,” Blake said with a smile. She looked Ruby up and down, as Weiss had, adding, “You look _great_ \- I love the lipstick choice.”

“Thanks,” Ruby said with a smile. “And... thanks for stealing the orange one for me, Yang.”

“No prob,” she said with a shrug.

“It’s mine, isn’t it?” Blake asked with a tired sigh.

“Sorry - I was gonna ask if she could borrow it but I didn’t wanna interrupt your flow as you got ready,” Yang said with a smile.

“It’s totally cool,” Blake replied. She gave Ruby a one-shouldered shrug. “If... if we _really_ are considering being packmates and everything... my lipstick is your lipstick.”

“Can we... talk about that?” Yang asked, surprisingly a bit nervous. “I mean, we totally get if you two still need some time, but...”

Weiss and Blake exchanged a look. Weiss had made up her mind around a week and a half ago when she’d spoken to Fiona about it, but the idea of broaching the subject to Ruby and Yang was a different concept entirely. She’d reached out to Blake a few days ago about it, but she’d said she still needed some time.

“I’m... pretty much on board,” Weiss said, also very nervous. “I mean, I actually... I’m _really_ excited about the idea, now that I’ve had some time to think about it, but...” Ruby’s eyes brightened at Weiss’ initial acceptance, but they softened again when she noticed that Blake was still unsure.

“I’m just... I guess I’m still worried about the whole ‘not being a wolf’ thing,” she said at last. “I... I _want_ to do it, I just... I don’t wanna get my hopes up, y’know?”

Ruby and Weiss shot her sympathetic looks, but to their surprise, Yang put a confident hand on her shoulder. 

“I _may_ have done some research about that,” she said with a smile. “And Maria told me that it doesn’t matter - as long as the Pack has at least one wolf, they can be officially recognized, claim territory, everything.”

Blake looked up at her, eyes shining with amazement.

“R-really?” she asked, hope creeping into the edges of her voice.

“Yeah,” Yang said softly. “I believe the words that she used were ‘Come on, did you _really_ think you’re the first pack of wolves to adopt another kind of were?’”

Ruby giggled. “Sounds like Maria.”

“Maria?” Weiss asked, getting a flash of a memory. “The _tailor?”_  
“Oh, yeah,” Yang said. “Maria’s a member of the Committee that doles out territory to werewolves, keeps up with the Pack registries, and that sort of thing.”

“Not to sound rude or anything, but... she’s _human,_ right?” Weiss asked. “They have humans serving on that Committee?”

“Actually, it’s made entirely of humans,” Ruby noted. “Or, at least, people who aren’t werecreatures - I think there have been some vampires in the past, folks like that. Basically, anyone who’s not a werecreature, but knows about us, is eligible to serve on the Committee.”

“Why’s that?” Blake asked.

“That way, the Committee members don’t try to reserve territories for themselves or anything,” Yang said. “If we let weres tell other weres what areas they could and couldn’t have, it’d be pretty easy for them to have a conflict of interest.”

“Dad said it’s not perfect,” Ruby continued. “A lot of the humans who know about us find out through a partner or a family member, so there are still biases there - but at the very least, it’s more impartial if the members aren’t trying to reserve territory for themselves.”

“I guess that makes a lot of sense,” Weiss admitted.

They all paused for a moment, and the four of them seemed to simultaneously realize that all of the logistical barriers to becoming an official Pack were no longer an issue. They could just... do it. Nothing was in the way anymore.

“How about this,” Ruby said, clearly noting their collective realization. “We’re probably gonna meet a fair amount of other weres tonight - why don’t we all just... try it out? Maybe we can introduce each other as packmates, or tell other weres that we’re making one if they ask. Just, y’know... see how it feels?”

“I like that,” Weiss said.

“Yeah,” Yang nodded. “And if we don’t like it tonight, then we can just forget the whole thing, and that’ll be that. No big deal.”

“That sounds really good,” Blake said with a smile. “Thanks, Ruby - it’s a smart idea.”

Ruby smiled at her, blushing just a little.

“Shall we go?” Yang asked, her hand on the doorknob.

Everyone’s ears and tails disappeared as Yang gallantly swung the door open, and the four of them were off to celebrate Halloween.

* * *

“Oh, one thing I forgot,” Yang said, as they were about halfway to the address that Coco had sent to them. “About, y’know, the Pack stuff.”

“What is it?” Weiss asked, looking over to her.

“Well, Pup,” Yang said, keeping careful watch over Weiss’ reaction to the nickname, “Our Pack needs a leader.”

Blake cocked her head. “We can’t all just be equals?”

“No, we will be,” Ruby said reassuringly. “But one of us has to be designated as, like, the ‘head official’ or whatever - the person they call when they want to get a hold of the entire Pack. It’s more of a formality than anything. It doesn’t mean that one of us is somehow ‘better’ than the others, or anything like that.”

“Okay,” Blake said, pondering. “Well, if it’s a mostly administrative position...” her eyes fell on Weiss, who immediately brushed away the attention.

“Oh, no,” Weiss said. “I might be good at organizing things, but I’m still figuring out all of this werewolf stuff. I have _no_ desire to be the main point of contact for a bunch of other weres.”

“Fair point,” Blake said. “And I _probably_ shouldn’t do it, either - I mean, you said that non-wolves are _welcome,_ but...”

“Might be a bit of a stretch to make you the leader - for such a new Pack, at least,” Yang admitted. “So that just leaves... me and Ruby.”

The sisters made eye contact for a while, with their respective girlfriends watching on with silent fascination. They almost appeared to be _measuring_ one another - as if assessing each other for the very first time.

“You got it, Rubes,” Yang said with a shrug.

“R-really?” Ruby asked, her silver eyes going wide, sparkling in the evening gloom. “You don’t want it?”

“Nah,” Yang said with a dismissive wave of her hand. She shrugged again. “Honestly, a few years ago, I would’ve taken the job right away, since you were all tiny and stuff.”

“Hey!” Ruby said, crossing her arms indignantly.

 _“But,”_ Yang placated, “After seeing you really come into your own this year - everything with Weiss, her dad, all the vampires and stuff... you’ve grown up a lot.” She gave Ruby a big grin. “You can handle this. I trust you.”

Ruby’s eyes went so wide, Weiss was genuinely afraid that they were going to fall off her face.

“Me too,” Weiss added, taking her hand and lightly bumping her shoulder.

“Me too,” Blake agreed, shooting Ruby a smile.

“Aww, girls...” Ruby said, her face reddening at all the attention and praise, “That’s... really nice of you to say.”

“It’s just the truth,” Yang said, turning back to walk forwards with a shrug. She chuckled, and continued speaking over her shoulder. “Besides, this way I don’t have to do all the paperwork.”

The three of them laughed as Ruby shot Yang a scowl, but she quickly relaxed and began to laugh along.

“We’re here!” Blake said, checking her scroll to be sure.

“Awesome!” Ruby said, pumping her arm. She hopped onto the concrete stoop of the large, rectangular building in front of them. “All right, girls! Time to have ourselves a very happy Halloween!”

* * *

“Hey, you guys made it!” Velvet called, running up to give Weiss and Ruby a hug. 

“Hey, Velvet,” Ruby laughed. “Where’s Coco?”

She turned and gestured to a tall, pointed black hat in a small crowd of heads.

Coco Adel, despite being an _actual,_ real-life witch, had evidently decided to dress as the more stereotypical fantasy version for Halloween, though not without adding her own flair to it. When she noticed Velvet waving, she said something to the blue-haired boy beside her, and they both started walking over, giving Weiss a better view of her outfit. 

In addition to the classic pointy hat, she’d worn a long, black cape that appeared to be made of faux feathers. However, the fantasy aspects of her look were contrasted by her usual black designer jeans, elegant and fashionable belt, sleek black flats, and a sleeveless black top with orange text that read “Don’t be a Basic Witch,” along with a solid orange outline of the fantasy spellcaster. Weiss remembered hearing that Velvet had bought the shirt for her as a joke last year.

“Hey, Coco!” Yang called out with a smile. “Where’s your broomstick?”

“Oh, it’s in the shop right now - hasn’t been flying like it used to,” she joked. She curled a _very_ unsubtle arm around Velvet’s waist, adding, “I made sure not to forget the rabbit I pull out of my hat, though.”

That got a laugh from all of them, as Velvet kissed her on the cheek.

To her credit, Velvet’s outfit was rather amazing - she wore a solid brown leotard and black tights, both of which accommodated her fluffy cotton tail. Her arms were bare aside from shirt cuffs that looked like they belonged on a tuxedo, which matched her white shirt collar and brown bow tie. The entire look was obviously reminiscent of a Playboy bunny - Weiss was surprised at Velvet’s boldness. She’d always known her to be rather shy, but the way that Coco was holding onto her suggested that anyone who said something rude about her outfit was not going to have a pleasant evening.

“I thought it was _magicians_ who pulled rabbits out of hats,” said the blue-haired boy with them, who wore a pair of red swim trunks, flip-flops, and little else. He had a silver whistle around his neck, a classic red-and-white life preserver over his shoulder, and a spot of what looked like sunscreen on his nose. Like Coco, he wasn’t obviously non-human - Weiss didn’t see any ears, fangs, or a tail to suggest any sort of magical aspect to him.

“Well, _this_ bunny has a thing for witches,” Velvet laughed. 

“Fair enough,” the boy said with a chuckle. He extended a hand out to the four of them. “Hi, I’m Neptune - this is my frat’s party. It’s nice to meet you!”

The four of them shook his hand individually.

“Nice to meet you too,” Yang said with a smile.

“So... this is a _frat_ party?” Weiss asked, trying and failing to keep the nervousness out of her voice. 

“Oh, I mean... _technically,_ but nobody’s drinking here, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Neptune said. 

“Really?” Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought that was, like... the whole _point_ of frat parties.”

“Normally, yeah,” he said with a shrug. “But when we do a bigger get-together like this, it’s tough to make the drinks safe for everybody and keep them separate, so we usually don’t bother.”

“What do you mean, ‘safe for everybody?’” Weiss asked.

“Uh oh, he’s about to start explaining _this_ whole thing,” Coco said with a laugh. “We’ll catch up to you four in a bit!” She and Velvet pulled away, to chat with some other partygoers.

“Madame, if you wish to ask about the interactions between various mythical creatures and alcohol, you have come to the right place,” Neptune laughed, guiding Weiss and Ruby to a table as Yang and Blake split off to mingle. “Allow your friendly neighborhood chemistry major to explain.”

He took a long sip of his drink - apparently water - and began.

“So, there’s actually an impressive amount of variance in the constitutions of mythical creatures when it comes to handling alcohol,” he said, his voice losing a bit of its ‘relaxed frat guy’ tone and becoming a bit more erudite. “Vampires can’t really drink at _all_ \- or, I guess, they _can,_ but it doesn’t really do anything for ‘em. A pureblood vampire could probably down several gallons of straight-up ethanol and not get tipsy.”

“Wow,” Weiss said, as Ruby nodded along with interest. “What about daywalkers?”

“I dunno, I’ve never met one,” Neptune said with a shrug. “I doubt it’d do much, though - vampires in general don’t get much from consuming anything besides blood.” Weiss nodded, resolving to ask Winter or Robyn about it the next time she got a chance. 

“As for werewolves like you two, you’re probably the next most resistant to the stuff,” Neptune continued.

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Ruby said. “I mean... alcohol’s technically poison, right? And with our super-healing...”

“Exactly,” Neptune said with an approving nod. “However, wolves _can_ get drunk with enough effort - some of the guys in my frat will blend in some herbs like wolfsbane that can slow ‘em down enough to the point where drinking will actually affect them the way that it would a human.”

“Wolfsbane...” Weiss said. “Is that, like, a magical herb or something, meant to specifically affect werewolves?”

“Nope!” Neptune laughed. “It’s just your standard, run-of-the mill deadly neurotoxin, which is, like... mildly inconvenient to you guys. Taking enough to kill a human or two would occupy your livers enough to let alcohol _actually_ enter your bloodstream.”

“Oh...” Ruby said, her mouth hanging open.

“Yeah,” Neptune laughed. “So, in addition to being kinda hard to come by, wolfsbane is also like super deadly to anyone besides vampires and wolves, so... keeping it within reach of people who _aren’t_ vampires or wolves, _especially_ if they’re drunk...”

“Yeah,” Weiss agreed, secretly relieved that it meant no one would be drinking at the party.

“Just to wrap up, there are also magic-users like Coco who’re fundamentally human, and experience alcohol like normal,” Neptune continued. “As well as a fair amount of other creatures who have basically human tolerance levels.”

“Is that it?” Ruby asked.

“Almost,” Neptune said. “Then, there are the poor, lightweight creatures like me, who can drink something that’s barely alcoholic and get drunk almost instantly.”

“Oh,” Ruby said. “And... what kind of creature is that?”

Neptune just gave her a wink as he turned his head to the side. Suddenly the skin on his neck opened up into a visible pair of _gills_ before vanishing again.

“You’re a fish?” Weiss asked, _immediately_ regretting the outburst.

 _“Technically_ I’m amphibious,” he said with a laugh. “If I were a fish, then I wouldn’t be able to breathe up here.”

“God, Nep, you’re such a fucking nerd,” came a voice from behind him. Neptune looked over his shoulder just in time for a spiky-haired blond boy to cup his cheek and plant a full-tilt, absolutely no-holds-barred kiss right on his lips. The other boy was holding a plastic red cup in his long, yellow tail before sliding it in front of Neptune without breaking their kiss. His tail was approximately the same blond as Yang’s, and it was much more lithe and dextrous, like Blake’s - though Weiss didn’t think Blake could actually _hold_ things with hers.

Weiss’ face began to redden as she realized that the two boys were _apparently_ just making out in front of her and Ruby. She began to stand up and let them have their space before the two finally pulled apart.

“Well hello to you to,” Neptune said with a flirty wink. The other boy grinned and rested his chin on Neptune’s shoulder from behind, happily letting Neptune cup his cheek.

“This is my boyfriend, Sun,” he said with a laugh. “Babe, this is...” he trailed off for a moment. “Oh, I’m sorry! I never got your names!”

“Lemme guess,” Sun said with a dry smile. “You got him talking about science, and he forgot.”

“Stop knowing me so well,” Neptune groaned.

“Never,” Sun laughed. 

“I’m Ruby,” Ruby said with a little wave. “And this is my girlfriend, Weiss.”

“Nice to meet ya!” Sun said. Weiss’ cheeks reddened - she’d never been directly introduced as ‘Ruby’s girlfriend’ before, and it was a feeling that she _absolutely_ wanted to experience again. 

“What’s up?” Neptune asked of Sun.

“Oh, Brawnz and some of the other guys are about to have a push-up contest, and I wanted you to cheer me on while I kick their butts,” Sun replied, already pulling on Neptune’s arm.

“Sorry - duty calls,” Neptune laughed, barely managing to snatch the additional water that Sun had brought for him as his boyfriend’s prehensile tail began to pull him away. “It was nice meeting you two!”

“Well, that was... something,” Ruby said with a laugh. 

“Quite,” Weiss agreed. “But he seems nice.”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. She was about halfway standing before she stopped, apparently realizing something. “Oh, shit - I forgot to say we were packmates!”

“I’m sure there will be plenty of other opportunities,” Weiss said with a laugh. Her cheeks began to redden once more as she added, “Besides... I didn’t really mind being called ‘your girlfriend’ one bit.”

“Well, thank goodness, because you _are_ my girlfriend,” Ruby said with a smile that made Weiss’ chest feel warm. She stood up from her chair and offered Weiss her arm. “Shall we attempt to mingle?”

“We most certainly shall,” Weiss laughed, taking it.

“C’mon, Sun,” came a distant voice. “You can’t lose to a _straight guy!”_

Weiss chuckled at Neptune’s apparent choice of encouraging phrases, letting Ruby lead her off into the crowd without a care in the world. 

  
  


* * *

Weiss and Ruby caught up to Coco and Velvet, who were now talking to a pair of boys off at a corner table, playing some sort of card game. 

The first boy had remarkably dark skin that contrasted well with his fiery red hair - it appeared to be an excellent dye job. He had a smaller, slighter build, but his sleeveless shirt revealed a surprisingly muscular set of arms. He wore mostly athletic clothing, and judging by the pair of massive red gloves that were tied together beside him at the table, he’d dressed up as a boxer for the party. From his ears and tail, he also looked like a were of some kind.

Across from him was a boy with very short shaved black hair and medium skin, armored like a knight straight out of Arthurian legend, down to the huge sword that he’d hung on his chair. The temperature inside the party wasn’t _too_ hot just yet, but clearly he must have been sweating at least a little - upon closer inspection, his armor seemed to actually be _real,_ or at least visibly made of metal, instead of just being a costume.

“Oh, hey guys!” Velvet chirped, looking up from the boys’ card game.

“Hey!” Ruby replied, sitting down at the table. “What’re you guys playing?”

“Double solitaire,” said the boxer, without looking up.

“They’re just being antisocial,” Coco laughed.

“We _were_ happy to receive the invitation,” the knight said. “But you know that Fox and I don’t really do well with...”

“Crowds,” the other boy, apparently Fox, replied.

“I know, I know,” Coco said. “Thanks for agreeing to walk Vel home, though.”

“Of course,” the knight said.

Velvet gave Coco an indulgent smile, then turned to Weiss and Ruby. “Hey girls, meet my roommates.” Pointing to the boxer, she said, “This is Fox,” causing the boy to wave in their general direction. “And that’s Yatsuhashi - Yatsu for short.”

“A pleasure,” he said.

“Wait, you... you don’t live with Coco?” Ruby asked, genuinely surprised.

“Nah, RAs have to have singles,” Coco said. “I’m allowed to have her visit a lot of the time, but there really isn’t space in my room for the both of us to actually _live_ there. I visit these dorks sometimes too, but I’m on call for a few nights a week, and I have to be on-campus then.”

“Plus, now we spend Sundays at her place just for your pancakes,” Velvet added with a smirk, making Ruby blush a little.

“Thanks,” she said. “Honestly, we’ve got such a crowd these days that I wish Weiss and I could get, like... a table...”

“Extra furniture is _technically_ not allowed, I’m afraid,” Coco said. “Though I _certainly_ didn’t become an RA just to write students up, so if you got a small one, I’d let it slide.” She gave the pair a little grin. “Like that new dog bed you two just picked up.”

Now _Weiss_ was blushing.

“Ah, so they’re wolves, then?” Fox asked.

“Yup,” Velvet confirmed.

Weiss narrowed her eyebrows in confusion - Fox appeared to be a were himself, and she figured that their appearances were obviously wolfish enough to give him that information on his own. Then, however, she noticed the way he’d been playing the card game - rather than actually _looking_ at the cards in his hand, like Yatsuhashi, he was idly running a thumb along their faces every so often. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the cards on the table had tiny little bumps in the center of their face-up sides, as well as the printed number and suit like normal.

 _Braille,_ she realized. Suddenly, Fox’s more vague gestures and tendency not to directly meet anyone’s gaze made sense - he must be blind.

“How about you?” Weiss asked him, a bit timid. “Sorry, I just got Turned this year - but you’re not a wolf, are you?”

“Nope,” he grinned, though there were still clearly fangs in his mouth when he did so. “I’m a werefox - that’s where the nickname comes from.”

Weiss gave a soft _ah!_ of realization.

“I see,” she said. “The only other werecreatures I’ve met besides wolves are Velvet and Blake, so it’s nice to meet you!”

“Blake?” Yatsuhashi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ruby very briefly met Weiss’ eyes to check in, getting an encouraging nod.

“Our packmate,” she said, proud of how smoothly she’d said it for the first time. “And my sister’s girlfriend. She’s a werepanther.”

He just hummed, returning to his card game.  
  


“So, are you guys, like... together?” Ruby asked.

“What, me and Yatsu?” Fox asked.

“Yeah,” she replied, relieved that she hadn’t merely nodded, because Fox wouldn’t have been able to tell.

“No, no,” Fox laughed. “I’m aro and he’s ace, so... we just hang out with each other when there’s a lot of couples around.”

“What does that mean?” Weiss asked.

"Fox is aromantic, Yatsu is asexual," Velvet elaborated.

“So Fox doesn’t date and Yatsu doesn’t fuck,” Coco supplied helpfully. Yatsuhashi’s tepid shrug seemed to signal that the assessment was more or less accurate.

Weiss could have _sworn_ that Velvet’s brown rabbit ears went red as a tomato. _“Coco!”_

“How’re you guys liking the party so far?” Coco asked, completely ignoring her girlfriend’s embarrassment at her bluntness.

“It’s... nice,” Weiss said with a smile. “It’s honestly really fun to have my ears out and talk openly about were stuff with all these people.”

“Yeah,” Ruby agreed. “Hanging out at home with my family and stuff is one thing, but _this...”_

That got a round of nods from the table.

“Speaking of,” Coco said, jerking her head towards Yatsuhashi, “Did you _have_ to wear that armor here? There’s nobody to hunt.”

“It’s ancestral,” he breezed, adjusting his shoulder plate. Weiss dimly realized that a suit of armor must be the absolute _worst_ attire for sitting down and playing cards, but Yatsuhashi didn’t seem to mind. “And this way, I don’t have to make a costume, but I’m still prepared in case something happens.”

“Like what?” Ruby chirped, her ear flopping down to one side in confusion.

“Yatsuhashi’s family has a long history of fighting mythical creatures,” Velvet explained. When the two wolves glared at her in surprise, considering that _they_ were mythical creatures, she held up her hands. “Wait!” She said placatingly. “Not just _any_ mythical creatures!”

“We only hunt beings who are wicked, and attempt to bring harm to others,” Yatsuhashi said, his voice calm. He hadn’t even looked away from his cards. “I have no reason to believe that either of you would attempt to hurt the innocent. I haven’t had to perform my family’s work in a long time, but centuries ago, when villages were attacked by werewolves or when vampires kidnapped young peasant girls...” he reached his hand out to the hilt of the sword he’d hung up on his chair. He grasped it, but didn’t remove it from its scabbard. “We took up the sword, and we fought back.”

“So... that thing is _real?”_ Ruby asked in astonishment. “Can I see?”

“Of course,” he laughed, standing up. “But don’t come close - the blade is pure silver.”

Weiss rolled her eyes as her girlfriend started fawning over Yatsuhashi’s sword, barely restraining herself from touching the blade.

“Ruby, I’m gonna grab myself a water,” Weiss called, unsure if she could even hear. “Do you want one?”

To her relief (and, if she was honest, her surprise), Ruby briefly looked over her shoulder to nod. “I’d love one. Thank you!” Immediately, she went back to talking to Yatsuhashi about his blade.

“I have a sword too, y’know,” Weiss muttered to herself. She shook her head with a smile, and went off in search of the refreshments table.

* * *

“Hello there,” a blue-haired boy said smoothly. For a moment, Weiss thought it might have been Neptune, but _this_ boy dressed very differently. He also had a blue pair of ears and a tail of a familiar shape, so unlike Neptune, he seemed to be a werewolf.

“Good evening,” Weiss said plainly as she pulled a sealed water bottle from a small cooler full of ice.

“Pretty cool party, huh?” The boy asked slyly. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw that he was actually leaning against the table, as if he had nowhere to be.

“Yes,” Weiss agreed politely, fishing for another water bottle amongst all the soda brands in the cooler. “It’s exciting to be around so many other people like this.”

“Yeah,” the boy said with a nod. Weiss came up from the cooler, having found a second water, only to see the boy offering her his hand to shake. “Henry Marigold,” he said smoothly. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a lovely wolf here tonight.”

“Weiss Schnee,” she replied, shaking his hand once and ignoring his compliment. A small flash of realization entered her mind. “Marigold - is there any chance you’re related to a _May_ Marigold?”

“May? Oh, right! Uh... _she_ is my cousin!” He said, fumbling with the pronoun for a moment. Weiss couldn’t tell if it was an honest mistake or not. “Do you know her?”

“She’s my sister’s roommate,” Weiss said. “Winter and her girlfriend live with May’s Pack.”

“Oh, I see,” Henry said with a smile. He then tilted his head in confusion. “Wait... two Packs under the same roof? That sounds... interesting.”

Weiss tilted her head for a moment - why would he think Winter would belong to a Pack of werewolves? The realization hit her, though, and she explained.

“My sister is actually a vampire, not a werewolf,” Weiss explained. “We were both born human. It’s a long story.”

“Wow,” he said with a low whistle. “Well, I’ve got all night. I’d love to chat with you about it, if you’d like.” His smile was quite wide.

Something clicked about Henry that Weiss hadn’t noticed previously. His posture, the way he looked at her lips every now and again before flicking back up to her eyes, the subtle dip in his voice...

Weiss had gotten so used to being a lesbian that she had _genuinely_ forgotten what it was like to be flirted with by a man.

“Maybe next time,” she said, as politely as she could manage. She picked up both water bottles, gesturing with one. “I have to get this back to my...” for some reason, the word ‘girlfriend’ just couldn’t find its way to her lips - Henry made Weiss _just_ uncomfortable enough that she was too nervous to say it. But, considering that Henry was a wolf... “Packmate,” Weiss finished.

“Oh, you’re here as a Pack?” Henry asked. “Which one? I may have heard of it.” His sly, confident, ‘You wouldn’t believe how much money I have’ smile returned. Weiss resisted the urge to scowl at the expression - she’d seen it on _far_ too many men back in Atlas.

“We’re not exactly anything official at the moment,” Weiss replied.

“Oh, I see,” Henry said. “Well, if you’re still thinking about a Pack to join, there’s an opening with the Marigolds - ever since my cousin left...”

“No, thank you,” Weiss said. “Really, I’d like to be getting back to -”

“Wait, you said your name was Weiss _Schnee,_ right?” Henry interrupted, blinking with realization. “As in... the Schnee Drilling Company? What’re you doing here in Vale?”

“I -” Weiss began, but he cut her off again.

“I mean, _I’m_ here for the debate tournament, but I’d know if you were on the team - I...” he trailed off, looking at her with a sly smile. “You came _all_ this way just to watch us tomorrow? You must be a dedicated fan.”

“I think you’re mistaken,” Weiss said, frustration growing at the edge of her voice. “Now if you don’t mind, I -”

“Aww, c’mon, I’m _sure_ I’ve seen you in the audience before!” Henry said. He was lying and Weiss knew it, but she was also able to tell that he _genuinely_ hadn’t considered the possibility that Weiss attended Beacon, instead of Atlas U. His sly grin widened a little bit further, and he offered her his hand again. “C’mon. I know a place where we can hang out, just the two of us.” His eyes glinted. “I’d like to get to know you better.”

Weiss was about to genuinely slap Henry across the face for so brazenly ignoring her obvious refusals, but the mop of black and red hair she spotted over his shoulder made her perk up in surprise. She left both water bottles on the table and pushed past him immediately, walking up to meet her.

“Hey, Weiss, is everything oka-mmmf!”

Ruby abruptly stopped speaking when Weiss grabbed her by the cheeks and kissed her. She blinked in surprise for a moment before letting her eyes flutter shut, leaning into the unexpected kiss. She felt Weiss step to the side a little bit, as if she were giving that boy she’d been talking to a perfect angle to see them. She _almost_ raised an eyebrow at that, before Weiss’ fingers tangled themselves in her hair, making her lean further in and pull Weiss closer by her hips.

Weiss finally pulled away with a triumphant smile on her face. She kept holding Ruby, and looked over to the now _very_ embarrassed Henry Marigold. “Henry, this is my _girlfriend,_ Ruby,” she said, a note of possessiveness entering her voice.

“I-I see...” he said, looking away in embarrassment.

“Ruby, this is Henry - you know my sister’s roommate, May? They’re cousins.”

“Oh, okay,” Ruby said, confused.

“It was nice to meet you,” Henry said, sheepish. “I’ll... um... I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Thank you,” Weiss said, making no effort to hide her satisfaction as he turned his heel and walked away, clearly mortified.

“What was _that_ all about?” Ruby asked with a laugh as he disappeared into the crowd. “I’m not about to complain about kissing you, but...”

“He was having some trouble taking ‘no’ for an answer,” Weiss sighed, finally letting go of her. She grabbed the water bottles she’d left on the table, handing one to Ruby and cracking open the other. She took a long swig, and then continued. “I figured I’d show him that on no uncertain terms, I am _taken.”_

“I see,” Ruby chuckled. “Well, I’m just glad to have played my part.”

“That was quite a show,” came a bemused, feminine voice from behind her. “It’s good to see you, Weiss.”

Weiss looked over her shoulder and her eyes went wide in astonishment. Long red hair, bright green eyes...

“P-Pyrrha?” Weiss stammered.

Pyrrha Nikhos stood before the two of them, dressed like an ancient Roman soldier - she wore a golden breastplate, gauntlets, helmet, greaves... everything. Unlike Yatsuhashi’s armor, it was clearly a costume, but the way Pyrrha wore it, it might as well have been the real thing.

“Sorry about Henry,” Pyrrha said with a sheepish grin. “He’s always been a little bit... _like that.”_

“Um... i-it’s okay,” Weiss said, still visibly surprised. She noticed that Ruby stood next to her, and put a hand around her waist for comfort. “So, er... what brings you to Vale?”

“Debate tournament, same as him,” she said with a sigh. “I _honestly_ don’t know why he’s travelling with us - he’s not really _good_ or anything, but the coach always brings him along anyways. I think it’s a nepotism thing.”

Weiss just nodded, amazed to see her friend again after so many years.

“So,” Pyrrha said with a smile. “Besides the new girlfriend and the lycanthropy, how have _you_ been in these last few years?”

“O-oh,” Weiss said, visibly blushing. “Um... Pyrrha, this is Ruby, my girlfriend - she’s actually the werewolf who Turned me. R-Ruby, this is Pyrrha - my old fencing partner.”

“I remember,” Ruby said brightly, shaking Pyrrha’s hand. “I’d make a joke about Weiss’ eye, but I think the scar makes her look cuter, so...”

Pyrrha blushed a little, her earlier confidence being tempered with some nervous regret. “I... I said I was sorry about that...”

“How many times do I have to tell you?” Weiss said, exasperated. “It was _my_ fault for sparring without gear in the first place!”

The pair laughed together about it, and Ruby smiled.

“So, Pyrrha, how’d you know Weiss was Turned?” She asked.

“You mean, _besides_ the fact that I gave her a scar and she didn’t heal from it?” Pyrrha asked. “Well...” she turned around slightly, revealing not one but _five_ bushy red tails peeking out from her costume, all bunched up together. She took her helmet off and shook out her long red ponytail, allowing two red fox ears to rise from her head as her tails split apart, haloing her figure. “I could say it takes one to know one - and Weiss always smelled human before.”

 _“Wow...”_ Weiss breathed with astonishment. “What... what _are_ you?” She was so stunned and impressed, she didn’t even realize the potential offense of the question.

Fortunately, though, Pyrrha just laughed again. “There’s a lot of names for me - I’m not _quite_ a normal werefox, though not far off. I guess the most accurate word is a ‘kitsune.’ Essentially, a spirit fox. I don’t transform with the moon, but I can do a little magic - mostly illusions and such, though I’ve always been good with magnetism.”

“That’s so cool!” Ruby said. She looked over to Weiss. “You knew a _kitsune_ this whole time? Why didn’t you tell me!?!”

“I didn’t _know!”_ Weiss shot back, crossing her arms. “I didn’t know about _any_ of this stuff until this year!”

“Sorry for hiding from you,” Pyrrha said, hand on the back of her neck. “I actually debated telling you about it, but I just wasn’t sure how you’d react...”

“No, it’s okay,” Weiss said. “When I first learned Ruby was a werewolf, I _might_ have pointed Myrtenaster at her until I realized she wasn’t there to hurt me.”

Ruby blinked. “Your sword has a _name?”_

“Of course it does,” she said immediately. “You can’t just have an unnamed sword.”

“Speaking of,” Pyrrha smiled, “I’d love to take Miló up and spar with you some time. I fence for Atlas U, but nobody there is as good as you were. I’d like to see if I still measure up.”

“Oh, I’m rather out of practice,” Weiss blushed. “I meant to join the fencing team at Beacon, but with the whole werewolf thing, I got so sidetracked...”

“I understand,” Pyrrha smiled. “I can’t imagine how much being Turned must have thrown your whole life out of whack.”

“Oh, you have _no_ idea,” Weiss said.

“Indeed,” Pyrrha chuckled. “Maybe next year?”

“Absolutely,” Weiss smiled. “Wanna sit down and catch up?”

  
  


“So, how did you and Ruby meet?” Pyrrha asked, taking a sip of her soda.

“We’re roommates,” Ruby said. “We got randomly assigned. Things were a little rocky on move-in day, but we went to go have dinner with my sister and her girlfriend, and then we started to hit it off.”

“And _then_ she accidentally changed into her wolf that same night when we got home,” Weiss teased.

“I forgot about the supermoon!” Ruby said hotly.

“I see,” Pyrrha chuckled. 

“Then from there, I started to learn about werecreatures, and then I got a crash course in vampires...”

“Vampires?” Pyrrha asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why vampires?”

“One stabbed me in the chest in an alleyway,” Weiss said plainly. “Ruby Turned me that night, so I would heal.”

Pyrrha’s incredible poise finally shattered at that, and she just sat there blinking for a moment. She idly scratched behind one red ear, as if she was convinced it was lying to her.

“It’s a long story,” Ruby laughed.

“Sounds like it,” Pyrrha managed. “But I’m glad that everything... _Turned..._ out okay.” She snorted out a laugh at her own pun.

“Where did _that_ come from?” Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Sorry, my boyfriend is rubbing off on me,” Pyrrha said with a laugh.

“B-boyfriend?” Weiss blinked. “You... never really struck me as...”

“Straight?” Pyrrha asked with a chuckle. “Trust me, neither Jaune nor I are anything of the sort, but straight people seem to think we are. It’s honestly a lot of fun when we first meet them - we look like any other straight couple, but then I’ll mention that I think a girl is hot, he’ll leave one of his binders out when we have company over... and sooner or later they’ll realize that they’ve been dealing with two bisexual trans people the whole time.”

“That’s really cool,” Ruby laughed. “I’ve never actually met another trans woman before - besides my sister, Yang.”

“She’s our packmate, too,” Weiss said.

“Oh!” Pyrrha said, her eyebrows raising. “You two are in a Pack, then?”

“We’re... on our way,” Ruby said. “Nothing official just yet - we’re sorta trying out the label.”

Pyrrha nodded with understanding.

“What about you?” Weiss asked. “Do kitsune have anything like that?”

“Not really,” Pyrrha said. “The only person I spend that much time with is Jaune - and he’s actually a human, so...”

“Wow, really?” Ruby asked. “How did _that_ happen?”

“Not really much to tell,” Pyrrha laughed. “We met _years_ ago, in high school. I was just minding my own business, letting my tails out in the locker room after fencing practice for _just_ a moment to stretch them, and then in walks a cute human, and...” she smiled fondly. “The rest is history.”

“Wait... he went into the girls’ locker room?” Ruby asked.

“He thought he was one, at the time,” Pyrrha said. “Once we’d been dating for a while, I told him I was trans, and then...” she chuckled.

“Then what?” Weiss asked.

“Well, he stared at me for a moment - I honestly worried that he wouldn’t be okay with it, but then he just gets this amazed look on his face, and he says... ‘Wait... you can _do that?’”_ She shook her head with a laugh. “We bought him his first binder that very same day.”

“He sounds interesting,” Weiss laughed.

“He definitely is,” Pyrrha smiled. She checked her scroll with a bit of a frown. “Sorry to cut this short, you two, but I should probably head back to our hotel - the tournament starts early tomorrow...”

“Oh, of course,” Weiss said. “It was so good to talk to you, though!”

“You too,” Pyrrha agreed. “You’ve still got my number right? It hasn’t changed.”

“I do, yes,” Weiss said.

“Well, don’t be a stranger,” she said. She turned to Ruby with a smile. “It was nice to meet you. I’m glad Weiss has found someone so kind.”

“You too!” Ruby agreed. She blushed. “And... thanks.”

They said their goodbyes, and Pyrrha turned to walk away, her tails bunching up so she didn’t bump into anyone.

“Okay,” Ruby said, as they both watched her leave. “I know how much you’re in love with me, and I absolutely _promise_ I’m not jealous or anything, but...”

Weiss just raised an eyebrow.

“I _totally_ get why you had a crush on her.”

* * *

“... Blake?”

Blake’s black ear cocked to the side at the sound of a familiar voice. She turned, dropping Yang’s hand - and then she dropped her jaw when she recognized the girl it belonged to.

“I-Illia?” Blake asked in surprise, the fear in her voice causing Yang to turn around as well. Blake squared her shoulders, staring down the smaller girl. Illia’s eyes widened at her reaction, but Blake stood her ground.

“Do you... know her?” Yang asked, her voice soft. She could tell that there was a reason for Blake’s standoffishness, but she didn’t yet know what it was. She straightened up a little, but didn’t make any other obvious moves.

“I used to,” Blake said tersely. Illia’s shoulders fell a little - she was clearly hurt by the statement, but Blake was too uncertain as to why the girl had suddenly reappeared in her life, and her first instinct was to protect herself and Yang.

“Blake, I...” she trailed off, looking at the floor.

Blake sighed.

“What’re you doing here, Illia?”

For the first time, Blake noticed another girl standing near Illia, wearing an admittedly humorous pink unicorn costume. It was not only incongruous with their tense situation, but also the girl’s dark makeup - it was all shades of bloody crimson and jet-black, matching her raven fauxhawk.

“It’s okay,” the girl told Illia, gently taking one of her hands in both of her own. “She deserves to know.” When Illia looked up, the girl glared daggers at Blake, which she supposed she deserved, but she didn’t regret her choice to be confrontational.

“Blake, I...” Illia swallowed thickly, gathering some resolve. “Adam is looking for you. _Both_ of you.”

Yang’s eyes _immediately_ shifted to red. “You _know_ him?” She said, raising a fist. She didn’t even notice it had shifted into a claw.

“N-not anymore,” Illia said, stepping back, her hands innocently raised up in front of her. “I... I _officially_ left his detachment of the White Fang a few weeks ago. The only reason I stayed so long was to try and gather information about his plans.”

“And what _is_ he planning?” Blake asked, her golden eyes narrowing.

“She’s not here to hurt you,” the dark-haired girl said, her arm wrapped around Illia’s waist to comfort her. “Just _calm down_ for a second and listen to her, okay?”

“Lena, it’s okay,” Illia said. She met Blake’s eyes, her own a little bit wet. “They have... _reasons_ not to trust anybody who says they know Adam.”

“Yeah, no _shit,”_ Yang said, crossing her arms in irritation. She brought a hand up to her injured ear, gently lifting it up, wincing as it moved. “He gave me this - he _impaled_ Blake.”

“I-I know,” Illia said, placatingly. “Er... I didn’t get a lot of details, but...” her eyes met Yang’s. “Are you the one who took his eye?”

“Yeah, and I probably snapped his Achilles tendon, too,” she said, her bluntness not showing the slightest hint of remorse. “I’d have done worse if I’d gotten the chance.”

“R-right...” Illia said. “And... I think the world would absolutely be better off without him.” _That_ little line was said bitterly, Illia casting her eyes to the floor in contempt. She sighed, regaining his composure. “I... I was there, the night he came back from that. He was furious, full of hatred - he vowed revenge...”

“Get to the point, Illia,” Blake said. There was a bit less of an edge in her voice, but it wasn’t soft by any means.

“R-right,” she said. “Once his leg recovered, he left it alone for awhile - he said the White Fang had ‘bigger problems,’ but...” she shuddered. “He got more violent. A _lot_ more violent - it was honestly terrifying. He started meeting and taking orders from this huge werebear guy that I’d never met before, and we started focusing less on what our ‘goals’ were supposed to be, and more on weird stuff - courier runs, acting as _security_ for vampires, _assassinating_ random humans...”

Blake cocked her head at this, concerned.

“Before I knew it, the White Fang was basically hired muscle,” Illia said, hugging herself. The girl with her - Lena, apparently - put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Adam said it was because we needed the money to stay afloat, all that, but...” she shook her head. “I don’t know what it’s _supposed_ to be, but the White Fang certainly isn’t about fighting for werecreatures. Not anymore.”

“What does any of this have to do with us?” Yang asked.

“I don’t _know,_ exactly,” Illia hedged. “I was never that close to his inner circle, which shrunk and shrunk as he got more paranoid. But when I was able to eavesdrop on his planning... Blake’s name would sometimes come up.” She grimaced, drawing into herself further. “And a ‘stupid yellow mutt’ that he feared would ‘get in the way.’”

Yang’s eyes narrowed dangerously - they were _still_ red as she was listening to Illia’s explanation.

“S-sorry,” Illia stammered, her apology genuine. “I - those’re _his_ words, not mine.”

“I get it,” Yang said. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, let it out, and then opened them again. Blake felt her shoulders relax when she saw that they had returned to lilac. 

“Listen, let’s...” for the first time, she looked around the room, causing Yang to do the same. There were a fair amount of people around - no one seemed to be _listening,_ but they were definitely in public. She met Illia’s eyes, letting her expression soften enough to put the girl a bit more at ease. She gestured towards an empty corner table. “Let’s sit down.”

  
  


“Okay,” Blake said, sitting relatively across the circular table from Illia, with Yang right next to her. “So, Adam is apparently planning something. Something involving me and Yang - or at least, he’s bringing us up. Right?”

“Y-yeah,” Illia nodded, her voice hoarse. She must have gotten a bit dehydrated from their rather tense exchange, letting out a few coughs.

“I can grab you a water,” The girl next to her offered. Her eyes flicked to Blake and Yang. “Will you be okay if I go for a sec?” Illia nodded quickly, causing the raven-haired girl to stand. She kissed Illia’s forehead, gave one final, borderline threatening look to Blake and Yang, then quickly walked off towards the table with all of the refreshments. As Blake watched her go, elegantly stepping around scattered friend groups and couples dancing, she blinked in surprise, having forgotten that they were technically still at a party.

“So, who’s the girl?” Yang asked. “Was she with the White Fang, too?”

Illia shook her head vigorously. “N-no, she’s not even a were.”

Now that they’d all sat down for a moment, Blake reminded herself of Illia’s appearance - earlier, she’d simply observed enough to recognize her and immediately gone on the defensive from there.

Illia had a tan complexion, a _very_ long brown ponytail _(Almost as long as Weiss’ used to be, maybe longer,_ Blake thought), and a series of curious, slightly darker spots on her face and hands. They’d have almost looked like costume makeup if Blake hadn’t remembered them from earlier in her life - too big to be freckles, too flat and numerous to be beauty marks. She’d nearly forgotten about Illia’s long, reptilian tail, nervously curling itself around her waist as she sat.

Her costume was simple - just everyday black clothes, as well as a high-collared black cape, red on the inside. It was clearly a low-effort attempt at mimicking the classic, cultural portrayal of vampires, but she pulled it off.

“Speaking of,” Blake asked mildly, “I don’t actually remember asking what kind of were you are. Did you always have that tail?”

Illia smiled weakly. “I’m glad you didn’t - _technically_ speaking, I’m a bit more than a werecreature...” she closed her eyes for a moment, and Blake and Yang gasped together as Illia’s _entire_ body rapidly morphed. It almost looked the way they usually did when they shifted, but Illia’s description had been apt - her change felt like _more._ The motion was more rapid than theirs ever was, but it also took a beat longer, as if there was somehow more that needed changing. When it was done, Illia blinked her now-red eyes, running a much more pale hand through her black fauxhawk.

At that moment, Illia’s apparent girlfriend returned, stopping dead in her tracks with a water bottle in each hand when she noticed.

Looking between them, the pair were _identical_ except for their clothes. Illia had (rather easily, it seemed) transformed herself into a perfect copy of her girlfriend.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” the girl said mildly, putting one water bottle down in front of her body double. She slid the other across the table to Blake and Yang - perhaps suggesting that they could share it.

Illia cracked open the water bottle and took a greedy swig, clearing her throat once it was downed. “Sorry,” she said, her voice such a perfect match that if she hadn’t been directly watching Illia’s face, she would have had no idea which one of them had spoken. “They asked to see it.” After that, Illia shifted back to normal, and her girlfriend put an arm over her shoulders - something Blake figured she _probably_ didn’t want to do to someone who was a perfect copy of her.

“I’m a shapeshifter,” Illia explained. “As for this tail of mine, Blake, you’re right - I didn’t always have it. I couldn’t have it out in the White Fang because it doesn’t look like it belongs on a werecreature, but it’s _technically_ not a part of my base form. I guess I just... like to mess around with that sort of thing.” She shrugged, allowing a pair of tiny, silver antlers to rise out of her head before disappearing again.

Both girls just sat there, slack-jawed.

“So... you _impersonated_ a werecreature?” Blake asked.

“That’s... maybe a little harsh...” Illia said nervously. “I wanted to join the White Fang - my parents died when I was young, so I didn’t... there wasn’t...” she took a breath. “I was the only person like me. When I heard about the White Fang, I... I thought of it as a place where I could be myself - at least, something _close_ to myself. I just... I wanted to belong.”

Her girlfriend just squeezed her tighter at that.

“I understand,” Blake said, her voice soft. “I was born into the White Fang, but... having known that sort of belonging, that feeling of having a family... it was really hard to live without it. Even for a little while.” Yang put her hand on the back of Blake’s while it was resting on the table. Blake flipped her hand over in response, interlocking their fingers.

“Yeah,” Illia said, grateful for the common ground. “As for ‘impersonating’ a werecreature... I mean, I certainly wasn’t _born_ one, and yeah, I could stop whenever I wanted, but with the way that my shifting works... I _was_ a werewolf. Super-healing, being affected by the moon... all of it. When I take on another creature’s form, I get _everything_ that comes with it.”

“When she shifted into _me_ for the first time, she drank basically all the blood I’d had saved and passed out,” the girl next to her said. 

“So you’re a vampire?” Yang asked mildly.

“Mm,” Illia hummed, putting the water bottle back down and capping it. “Sorry, I forgot - Blake, this is my girlfriend, Lena. She’s a vampire - she actually helped me get out of the White Fang, when I knew I had to run.”

Blake gave Lena a courteous nod, which was returned. Yang let out a little chuckle, drawing Illia and Lena’s eyes.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s just... really hard to take you seriously in that outfit.”

“That’s fair,” Lena admitted, the first smile of hers that they’d ever seen widening on her lips. “I normally wear dark colors, but she _insisted_ I become a pastel goth for the evening.”

“C’mon, you look good in pink,” Illia said. “I know - I’ve tried it on for you before.”

Yang chuckled again at that, and Blake rolled her eyes.

“Illia, Lena, this is _my_ girlfriend, Yang,” she said, her tone slightly admonishing Yang’s rather uncouth laughter.

“Nice to meet you,” Illia said. “I’d, uh... only heard of you as ‘that stupid mutt,’ or something along those lines.”

“Oh, she’s _definitely_ a bit stupid,” Blake said immediately, grinning widely.

“Hey!” Yang said, crossing her arms. Blake just giggled, causing Yang to stick her tongue out at her.

“So, Illia,” Blake said, recovering, “You can really turn into _anything?_ Any kind of creature?”

“I only have around the same amount of atoms in my body - I can’t really become much bigger or smaller,” she said. “When I change into a werewolf I can get bigger, but I have to do it the same way that werewolves do - usually with the moon.”

“But still,” Yang said. “Like... can you do animals? Other sorts of creatures, not just people?”

“I _can,”_ Illia hedged. “But the problem with my changes being so, well... _complete,_ is that I really do _become_ whatever I change into. When I’m Lena, I tend to get a bit more moody, and I know a lot of the random stuff she knows about mixing drinks. ”

“I’m a bartender - lets me work nights,” Lena explained. She turned an accusatory look to Illia. “Also, I am not _moody.”_

“Yes, you are,” Illia said instantly, kissing her cheek. “But, yeah. When I change into another creature I’m still _myself,_ but also... not quite. If I _were_ to become an animal - like a normal dog, a bear cub, maybe a small horse or something...” she shrugged. “I _might_ not be smart enough to change back. Ever.”

“Oh...” Blake said.

“I can make myself into a _version_ of a creature - like how I did when I was a werewolf,” Illia said. “Like, I _was_ a different creature, but I still looked like me. I can do that, but it takes a lot of practice. I’m making something _new,_ not just a copy. I still can’t quite do a vampire without just ending up as Lena.”

“At least like that, you share my taste in movies,” Lena mused.

“Fair enough,” Illia agreed with a chuckle. “But yeah - in order to keep a form like the one I used in the White Fang without forgetting I’m able to change back, I’d have to make it... sort of like a part of myself, I guess. Heck, I _still_ wake up with wolf ears sometimes.”

“That is... _wild,”_ Yang said, shaking her head. “First I learn magic is real, then _this_ crazy stuff...”

“Yeah,” Illia said. She put a nervous hand on the back of her neck. “I, uh... I _really_ don’t tell people this very often. Outside of Lena and our close friends... you two are really the only people who know. I... I hoped that it would help show that I’m telling the truth.”

“Right,” Blake nodded, getting back to their original topic. “So... Adam.”

“Y-yeah,” she agreed, equally uninterested in the idea of returning to such a heavy subject. “Blake, I... I don’t know _what_ he’s planning, but it’s big. _Really_ big. And somehow, it looks like it involves you. I... I’m sorry I don’t have anything more specific, but...”

“What do you know about his schedule?” Yang asked. “Like, how much time do we have?”

“Not sure, but it didn’t seem like it was very soon,” she said. “When I left, there was still a _lot_ of preparing to do - he needed to increase the Fang’s numbers, get his hands on a lot of weapons, plus all the ‘assignments’ he gets from whoever’s giving him orders now...” she shook her head. “But... still. Whatever it is... I had to tell you.”

“Thank you,” Blake said. “We’ll be ready.”

Illia blinked.

“You’re... you’re not actually _staying,_ are you?” She asked, her eyes wide. “Blake, Adam _knows_ that you and Yang live here in Vale. That you go to Beacon. I know you guys managed to fight him off before, but...” she shook her head. “He’s not coming alone next time. Not by a long shot.”

Blake and Yang exchanged a look.

“We know,” Blake said simply. “And yeah. We’re staying.”

Illia’s eyes widened even further. “You can’t be serious. You guys have plenty of time to get out of Vale - maybe even finish the semester at Beacon, but -”

“This is our _home,_ Illia,” Blake said. “We could have left the first time that Adam came for us, but we didn’t. I refuse to give up the life that I had to make for myself just because he’s trying to ruin it.”

“Are you _sure?”_ Illia asked softly.

“Yup,” Yang said. “Vale’s where we belong - it’s where we go to school, where we work, where my family lives, where our doctor’s offices are, all that stuff.” She looked at Blake, blushing a little bit - she hadn’t had a chance to say this just yet in front of her, and wanted to judge her reaction. “And pretty soon, it’s where our Pack’s territory will be.”

“So we’re staying.” Blake said, resolute. She gave Yang a slight nod of approval, making her exhale in relief. “But still,” she said, looking back to Illia, “Thank you. We really appreciate you telling us - and I’m sorry that I was so confrontational.”

“It’s okay,” she said, smiling weakly. “I... understand why you were.”

“Water under the bridge?” Yang asked, a smile on her face. She finally cracked open the water bottle that Lena had brought for them, taking a big swig. Blake took it from her when she was done, and did the same.

“Sounds good,” Illia said with a smile.

“And hey, if you two are staying in Vale,” Lena offered, “Any chance we could maybe go on a double date some time?”

“That sounds fun,” Blake said, looking to Yang to gauge her interest. “Lunch?”

Illia looked at Lena. “Maybe dinner,” she said with a chuckle.

“Oh!” Blake said, realizing that Lena probably wouldn’t be able to go outside any time around what a normal person would consider lunch. “That... yeah, that’s probably better.”

“There’s a bowling alley across from the bar where I work,” Lena offered. “Maybe we could head there after dinner?”

Yang and Blake exchanged smiles. Yang was a _champion_ at bowling.

“Sounds like a plan.”

  
  


* * *

“Hey, everybody,” came Sun’s voice over the speaker system, getting almost every head in the room to look at him. “We’re gonna start winding down in an hour or so - the folks who rent us this space are pretty chill, but we don’t wanna overstay our welcome too much.”

The statement got a few sighs of understanding and disappointment from the various partygoers - it _was_ nearly one in the morning, but everyone seemed to still be having fun.

 _“However,”_ Sun grinned, “We’re not finished just yet, so if you came here a hot date, like I did...” he paused to give Neptune a flirty wink. Weiss was sitting at _just_ the right angle where she could see him facepalming at his table on the other side of the room. “Then get your butts out on the dance floor, because right now, we’re gonna make things real _slow.”_ He grinned, adjusting some settings on the soundboard in front of him. The previous song, which had been probably the tenth appearance of “The Monster Mash” that evening (there really wasn’t much Halloween music to work with) faded out into a simple and slow ballad.

“Hey, Coco!” Sun called out, somehow forgetting that there was a perfectly good microphone in front of him. “Can you get the lights?”

Coco sighed, standing up from where she’d been snuggling with Velvet across the table from them. “Every year,” she muttered, pulling out a locked chest. After opening it with the key around her neck, she fiddled around with some of its contents, muttered some words that Weiss couldn’t begin to comprehend, and flicked her fingers at the ceiling.

The rather standard but low lights of the party room quickly changed to several softer, more atmospheric tones, and gentle patterns began to play along the walls and the floor - some of the fixtures had apparently been enchanted to rotate and change colors.

People began heading out to the dance floor in pairs, with a few scattered trios and quartets doing their best to dance romantically while all maintaining physical contact with one another. Fox and Yatsuhashi quickly returned to their card game, but Weiss saw Sun pull a reluctant Neptune from his chair before dipping him romantically. She spotted Blake and Yang swaying on the other side of the room, and despite her earlier irritation at having to do the lights, Coco still got up when Velvet offered her a hand.

Deciding to initiate things a bit more, Weiss stood up from her chair, bowing low as she extended her palm to Ruby.

“Miss Rose, may I have this dance?” She asked, her voice low, formal, and a little bit silly.

“Weiss,” Ruby chuckled, looking around nervously, “I don’t know how to dance.”

“It’s easy,” Weiss promised, her hand still extended.

“I dunno if that’s true,” Ruby said. Her eyes flicked over to Sun, who had just guided Neptune through an elegant twirl before dipping him again. He then pulled the other boy up with ease, and the two danced off to another section of the floor.

“We don’t have to do anything crazy,” Weiss said. She straightened, but kept her hand extended. “You can just hold onto me and sway. All right?”

“That sounds nice...” Ruby said, an obvious blush on her cheeks. With a little nod, she took the offered hand. “Okay.”

Gracefully, Weiss pulled Ruby up from her seat, leading her to the dance floor with nothing but perfect dignity. When they made it to the edge of the floor, Weiss held her left hand at shoulder height, palm up, and her right arm out, at waist-level, ready for Ruby to step in.

“Madame,” Weiss said, waiting patiently for her partner to take up the right posture.

Ruby giggled at her formality, but she was clearly enjoying herself as she daintily took Weiss’ right hand, blushing as Weiss’ left hand settled just above her tail.

“W-what do I do with my other hand?” Ruby asked, holding it awkwardly between them.

“You place it on my lapel,” Weiss said, suddenly remembering that she was wearing a black crop top covered in white fabric paint, meaning that she lacked a lapel. She tapped her chest gently, just inside of her right shoulder.

“B-but...” Ruby said, not needing to verbally state that that position was _right_ above Weiss’ breast - her hand would definitely press against the straps of Weiss’ bra.

“Unfortunately, these old positions _were_ made for straight people,” Weiss chuckled. “I suppose they didn’t expect the leader to be so... endowed.”

Ruby giggled at that.

“But... I don’t mind, if you don’t,” Weiss murmured, feeling a blush in her _own_ cheeks, now. “Y-you can put your hand on my shoulder if you prefer - I think that’s also correct.”

Ruby, too shy to say anything, just put her hand on Weiss’ chest.

  
  


Vale might have been unseasonably cold that autumn, but Weiss would _never_ have known it based on the warmth she felt as she danced with Ruby.

“See?” She said gently, guiding her as they followed a _very_ simple pattern of steps. “There you go - not too hard, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Ruby said, briefly looking up from her feet to smile. “I guess not.”

“Mm,” Weiss hummed, content to just enjoy their closeness.

The current song ended, and transitioned into one even slower - despite Ruby’s request to go slow, attempting to continue their current pattern wouldn’t have made sense with this tempo.

“Now what?” Ruby asked, stopping.

“This is the best part,” Weiss said with a nervous smirk. “Come here.”

Ruby let out a soft _ah!_ of surprise as Weiss gently pulled her in close, now keeping _both_ her arms around Ruby’s lower back. Ruby, now catching on, let her forearms rest on Weiss’ shoulders, her wrists crossed behind Weiss’ head.

 _Very_ thankful that she’d worn shoes with a heel that made her barely an inch taller than Ruby, Weiss gave her girlfriend a coy smile, their faces only inches apart.

“Told you this was the best part,” she said with a wink.

“Think we should tell them? About Adam?” Blake asked as Yang gently led her closer to where Ruby and Weiss were dancing, staring into each others’ eyes as if there was nobody else in the world. Illia and Lena literally waltzed past them - they _must_ have been taking a class together or something.

Yang looked over at her sister and her packmate, a warm smile reaching her lips at the sight. “Nah,” she said. “Let’s let Rubes and her Pup have tonight - we can tell them tomorrow.”

“Are you _really_ calling Weiss that, now?” Blake chuckled.

“She didn’t seem to mind, earlier,” Yang mused. “If we’re gonna be a Pack, I figure that I should retire ‘Ice Queen’ - at least, until I’m annoyed at her. So I’m trying this out.”

“You _could_ just use her name,” Blake offered.

“I have nicknames for everybody.” Yang said.

Blake’s brows furrowed at that. “You don’t have one for me.”

“Well, yeah,” Yang said, as if that was obvious. She gave her a wink. “You’re special, Blake. I couldn’t give you a better name than that if I tried.”

“So I’m the exception, then?” Blake teased.

“Yup,” Yang smiled. “You’re the only one who gets to keep her name.”

“Well, Sunshine,” Blake said, matching her grin, “Then I think I should tell you - _you’re_ the only person I have a nickname for.”

Yang blushed. “I-I... that’s... you...”

“C’mere, beautiful,” Blake said, bringing her in for a kiss.

  
  


“Are those two _seriously_ making out on the dance floor?” Weiss asked, a bit of irritation in her voice as she caught a glimpse of Blake and Yang over Ruby’s shoulder.

“Are you _really_ surprised?” Ruby teased.

“No, I suppose not,” Weiss said. She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “At least it’s dark enough that I can pretend they aren’t there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ruby giggled. She glanced to the side for a moment, then back up at Weiss, adding, “But... I guess we could try following their example. Nobody really seems to mind, so...”

Weiss needed no additional encouragement, pressing her lips into Ruby’s.

They stayed like that for a while, but when they eventually stopped swaying to the music altogether, Weiss became at least self-conscious enough of the motion from others around them to pull away. Ruby didn’t seem too upset, though, resting her head on Weiss’ shoulder. She sighed with delight as Weiss’ free hand went up to scratch her ears.

“Can we stay like this forever?” Ruby asked, her voice soft and dreamy.

“Well, Sun _did_ say that he was gonna kick us out in less than an hour,” Weiss teased. “But, we live together, and you have a stereo - put on some slow music like this, and I’ll dance with you for as long as you like.”

Ruby looked up from her shoulder, her beautiful silver eyes shining with blissful content. She paced a long, slow kiss on Weiss’ neck, then eventually settled back into her shoulder, leaving Weiss standing there, her face on fire and her heart moving at twice the tempo of the song.

Ruby giggled, well aware of the effect that she’d had on Weiss, but completely unapologetic about it.

“I think I’ll take you up on that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would it have made more sense for me to make Pyrrha a mythical creature from ancient Greek legend, like a satyr, because that's clearly what inspired her canon aesthetic? Yes.  
> Did I make her a kitsune anyways because I think it'd make her look really pretty and I'm a raging lesbian? Yes.
> 
> In all seriousness, thank you so much for reading this chapter! It *might* be the new longest one, I'm not certain. I hope it was fun to see how I decided to portray the various side characters of the series in this universe - I don't think we'll see *all* of them again (especially not Henry, lmao) but I reserve the right for a few of these characters to come back later on.
> 
> Also, if you couldn't already tell, Illia's girlfriend Lena is an original character - the first and probably only one in this entire fic to date a canon character! I personally don't really ship Illia with anyone who isn't already happily paired up in this universe, so I decided to just give her a cute vampire goth gf. I hope you all like her as much as I liked writing her.
> 
> That's all for now! Take care, and have a very happy Halloween (eventually)!
> 
> -Red


	27. A Long Car Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it's been so long!   
> I spent the last several days wrapping up production on the independent video game I've been working on for the past ten months, and I'm happy to report that it's now available on Steam and Itch.io!  
> However, as you can imagine, spending most of my waking time going over and editing the writing I'd been doing for a narrative-based video game for like ten consecutive days really took it out of me, so I had to take a bit of a break from WWoB.   
> I'm back now, though, and excited to resume this little tale! This chapter's admittedly *much* shorter than anything I've put out in terms of raw word count (even Chapter 16) but my hope is that it'll still feel a bit longer because it's almost all dialogue.   
> Either way, I sincerely hope you enjoy, and thanks so much for your patience!
> 
> -Red

May turned on her blinker while she waited at the light.

Atlas traffic was  _ hell _ at this time in the evening. She’d been expecting a relatively easy trip, considering that she was headed back into the city at a time when most people were commuting back out to the suburbs, but alas, rush hour in Atlas was still rush hour in Atlas, so she was in no danger of having a short trip.

She glanced up at the mirror, catching just the barest slice of her passenger’s face - the white-haired, blue-eyed boy had been gazing out the window with a thousand-yard stare ever since she had picked him up from the illustrious Schnee mansion half an hour ago. He had a backpack on the seat next to him which contained all of his earthly possessions - along with the surprisingly large and expensive-looking roller suitcase that was taking up the vast majority of the space in her trunk.

“Sorry about the traffic,” May finally said, breaking the dead silence at last. She’d kept her ears in because the other motorists would be able to see them while she was stopped, but the lack of any audio stimulation had still been driving her crazy.

“Mm?” Whitley hummed, blinking as he was pulled out from his apparently heavy trance.

“I said I’m sorry about the traffic,” May repeated. “I was hoping to beat the rush, but it looks like we got caught up in it.”

“It’s fine,” he said mutely, returning to the window. 

Well damn, that didn’t work.

“So,” May said, doing her best to keep her tone light despite the fact that she was currently driving a fourteen-year-old boy away from the only home he’d ever known for a likely indefinite amount of time. “What has Winter told you about our little apartment?”

Whitley paused before responding, as if he had to give the window a proper farewell. Considering that they were  _ still _ waiting at this stoplight, May saw him adjust his posture, going from a forlorn lean against her window to a more neutral sitting position.

“Not much,” he finally said. “She said you had a room for me. Is it a couch?” He let out a mirthless chuckle. “I suppose that’s all I should be asking for, given my current situation.”

“No, it’s a bedroom,” May said, trying to keep her voice neutral while still reassuring. “My girlfriend used it as a home office, before, but she can make do with the kitchen and the living room until we figure things out.”

“I see,” Whitley said. His brows furrowed. “Why purchase a three-bedroom apartment, if you knew it was going to become an office?”

May was  _ genuinely _ impressed that he was willing to continue the conversation. Winter told her that he would likely be cold and very distant, and while she most certainly saw that, his apparent desire for at least some semblance of human connection was reassuring.

“Well, the landlord wasn’t about to rent a two-bedroom to five people,” May said with a light chuckle. “We had to pretend we needed three, because he insisted on meeting all the tenants in person.”

“I’m... confused.” Whitley managed, after a beat. “There are five of you?”

“Yes.”

“But only two bedrooms?”

“Yes.”

“Then... where does the fifth person sleep?”

May held in her bemused laugh. It wasn’t  _ his _ fault - she knew he’d had an impressively sheltered upbringing, and was apparently only coming to terms with the fact that  _ both _ of his older sisters were attracted to other women. But, considering that he was apparently going to be living with them for at least the upcoming few days...

“The three of us share a bedroom.”

Whitley blinked. “What, with multiple beds? Why not use the third bedroom?”

At this, May finally snorted out loud - she  _ really _ had to spell it out for him, huh?

“The three of us are all dating. We all sleep in the same bed.”

Whitley was quiet for a minute or so.

“Oh,” he finally said. “I... apologize. I’ve never heard of something like that before. I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Don’t worry about it,” May replied. “It’s a little...  _ unusual, _ I’ll give you that.”

At this, Whitley laughed darkly. “It’s been an unusual day.”

She had to give him that.

“Do you mind if I... ask you about that?” May asked, tepid.

“How do you mean?” Whitley said, genuinely confused.

“Well, I mean... given  _ today,” _ May began. Ugh - why was it so hard to talk to this kid? “Are you... doing okay?”

“I’m fine.”

May narrowed her eyes, even though she wasn’t facing him. 

“Not to be rude or anything, but... I don’t think that’s the case, given what you’ve been through.”

He just shrugged, noncommittal. She barely noticed the gesture in her rear-view mirror.

“Y’know, kid,” May said, immediately scolding herself internally for calling him that - he probably found it demeaning, “It’s... it’s okay, if you’re not okay.”

Whitley met her eyes through the rear-view mirror. Gods, he could  _ really _ glare as much, if not more than Winter. Her venomous looks were infrequent these days, but it almost seemed like Whitley’s default state.

“I don’t follow,” he said. There was no malice in the statement, despite his glare.

“Well,” May patiently began, “I only really got to know Winter after she’d gotten away from her dad, and Weiss and I have never properly met. But given everything I’ve heard from what growing up in that house was like...”

Whitley raised a curious eyebrow.

“It just... doesn’t really sound like a place where you can be yourself,” May finished. 

_ Yeah, great idea, Marigold - insult the only place this kid has ever lived! That’ll make him feel better! _

“Hm,” Whitley said, considering that. “I suppose so, in a way. Considering that both of my sisters are homosexual, and Father has never had a high opinion of such people...”

“Um, not to be all ‘that guy,’ but... Winter’s not gay, she’s pan,” May noted.

“...  _ pan?” _ He asked. From what May could tell, his curiosity was honest, so she might as well explain.

“Pansexual,” she clarified. “She’s theoretically attracted to guys, girls, and anybody in-between. She’s dating Robyn right now, and they’re really happy, but in terms of her compatibility with other people, gender doesn’t really matter.” May shrugged. “I’m the same way, though I tend to lean a bit closer to girls than she seems to.” 

She chuckled at herself - since when had she agreed to teach Whitley Schnee, son of a homophobic mining billionaire, about various LGBT+ identities?

“I... see,” he said. He appeared to process this new information, shrug, and continue. “But regardless, I can see that someone would have not been allowed to ‘be themselves’ in the Schnee manor, in that sense. In addition to all the vampire stuff, I understand that that’s likely part of why my sisters left.”

He laughed at a memory. “Last time I spoke to Weiss, she told me that if I started finding men attractive or whatever, it ‘runs in the family.’”

“And do you?” May asked. Her voice was sincere, simple - just an honest inquiry, with no judgment behind it.

He met her eyes through the mirror again, searching her as much as he appeared to be searching himself.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t given it much thought.”

“That’s okay,” May said, trying to reassure him as quickly as possible. “We won’t really care if you do or don’t.” She snorted out a laugh as she took another turn. “I mean, I’m gonna be honest, you’re about to come into a house with five super gay women, but like... we’re not gonna make fun of you, even if you’re straight. We’re not an exclusive club or anything.”

“I figured I wouldn’t  _ exactly _ fit in, regardless,” he said. He wasn’t judgmental, per se, just frustrated - May figured it was because he was a fourteen-year-old boy and the five of them were all full adults with jobs and responsibilities.

“Maybe at first, but hey,” May offered. “You and I seem to be getting along just fine.”

“I suppose,” he shrugged.

Okay, time to go away from the heavy topics for a little while. Indulging in them could be helpful, but she didn’t want to pull him too far down into that sort of thinking - he’d been in enough of a funk as it is.

“Do you like pizza?” May asked him.

“Pizza?”

“Yeah - my girlfriend went out and got us all a few of them. Will that be okay with you? We can figure something else out if not, but...”

Whitley paused for a minute.

“Did you get one with just cheese?” He finally asked.

“That’s Jo’s favorite kind, so I figure she did,” May said with a smile. “We were hoping you’d like pizza - Winter told us you had, like, a family chef or whatever, so...”

“We weren’t  _ that  _ sheltered,” Whitley said adamantly. “I may go to one of the wealthiest public schools in the country, but it’s still a  _ public school. _ Of course we had pizza.”

May snickered.  _ “When?” _

He paused. “F-field trips,” he admitted. “That’s about it.”

“Well, then this will be a pretty great field trip,” she said. “There’s a pizza place near our house that’s really excellent - I’ve never had better crust.”

She looked back at yet another stoplight. He was staring out the window again.

“Don’t worry too much about food,” she consoled. “What we have isn’t gourmet, but I think you’ll probably like the taste.”

“What makes you so sure?” He asked. He let out an angry little snort, as if he were upset with  _ himself, _ for some reason. “My favorite meal is  _ duck confit.” _

“Winter’s was caviar,” May countered. “But the very first night she came over to our place, she was slurping up a cup of ramen noodles that cost around two dollars. They’re her guilty pleasure.”

Whitley looked at her in the mirror, surprised.

“Winter...  _ eats?” _

Right. He had just started to come to terms with the fact that his sister was a vampire.

“It doesn’t actually  _ sustain _ her, she does need blood for that,” May admitted. “But hey - we can afford it, it would look weird if we had company over and there was only enough food for the three of us, and according to both of them, it tastes good.”

Whitley merely hummed at that, thoughtful. He stared out the window again - May resolved to let him, this time, as they were only another twenty minutes out or so.

“May I ask you something?” He said, after five minutes or so of silence.

“What’s up?” 

He looked at his lap for a moment, almost ashamed with himself. May cocked an eyebrow at the gesture, but he soon spoke up.

“You’re a werewolf, correct?”

“Sure am. Why’d you ask?”

“I suppose that I’m just... still coming to terms with it all,” he admitted. “I didn’t believe  _ any _ of this until Weiss showed me her ears and everything. And that Ruby girl transformed right in front of me - at least, on camera.”

“Her girlfriend?” May asked, half-remembering what Winter had told her.

His brows furrowed. “Weiss said she was her roommate.”

“From what I’ve been told, Ruby is both,” May said. “It’s apparently a recent development.”

“Ah.” 

There was a beat.

“So why’d you ask?”

Whitley shrugged, a little bit nervous. 

“Well, I just... I suppose I’ve  _ seen  _ it, in a way, but... it was over a video call.”

“Ohhh,” May said, understanding. “Never in person?”

“No.”

May looked to her left and right - they were still in the thick of some Atlas gridlock, no way she could just show everything off without giving some other motorist a heart attack.

“Well, I don’t want anybody to see my extra pair of ears,” May said. “But... here, let’s see if I can...”

She took advantage of a stoplight to scoot forward in her seat, angling her lower body to the far left of the car, so her hip was against the door. It was  _ very _ uncomfortable, but it looked like there was just enough space between the side of her seat and the inner wall for her tail to poke out of her jeans.

“Look down and to your left,” she said.

Whitley obeyed, and his eyes found a soft, blue tail, awkwardly wedged between the seat and his car door. Despite its cramped position, the appendage gave him a teeny little wag.

May grunted, scooting back and pulling her tail in with her. A car from behind her honked loudly, making her grumble as she hit the gas. She’d been less than a half-second slow while repositioning, but to Atlesian motorists, this was unforgivable. She regained her bearings and looked back to Whitley.

“Satisfied?” she asked.

“I... don’t know what to say,” he finally admitted. “It’s not as though I didn’t  _ believe _ you, but...”

“I get it, it’s a lot to take in,” May reassured him. She shrugged. “If you want, we can show you some of the other stuff later tonight - once we get home, and I’m not driving.”

“That’s... probably for the best,” Whitley said. “Sorry.”

“For what?” May asked.

“For making you stop, while you did that,” he explained. 

“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about it - that guy was just an impatient jerk,” she said. “Welcome to Atlas.”

Whitley scoffed. “I’ve lived here my whole life.”

“Sure, but have you driven at rush hour?”

“Point taken.”

They rode in silence once more.

“Any other werewolf questions?” she asked. 

“None for now, I think,” Whitley said. “Maybe... once I’ve settled in?”

“Whatever works, yeah,” May said. “Just so you know, chances are that my girlfriends will have their ears and tails out when we get there. It’s normally how we are around the house.”

“Why’s that?” He asked.

“It’s more comfy,” she said with a shrug. “Keeping them in is kinda like wearing shoes in your house.”

“You don’t wear shoes in your house?” He asked, confused.

“You  _ do?”  _ May said, with just as much confusion.

He sat back with a shrug. “The hallways are marble. I suppose that besides everything else, they’d be cold.”

“Fair enough,” she said. She looked back - he was troubled again.

“Hey,” she said, extending an olive branch. “I know that this is gonna be an adjustment period - not  _ just _ living with vampires and werewolves, but living in a house with the five of us.”

“That’s quite the understatement,” Whitley said blandly.

“True,” May said. “But... I promise, we’ll all be around to answer your questions and stuff - anything from how werewolves work to how you fit into the chore wheel.”

“The what?” He asked.

“We’ll get there,” she laughed. “But I just wanted to say... we’ll be there for you. As far as my girls and I are concerned, you’re not just our roommate’s little brother - you’re probably gonna feel like you’re  _ our _ little brother, too.”

“Okay...” he said, not sure to handle this information.

“Sorry - it’s just kinda how we are,” she said. 

“Werewolves?”

“Yes, but also just me, Robyn, Joanna, and May, as people. When we found out Winter didn’t have anywhere to go until the dorms at Atlas U opened up, Robyn practically dragged her into our tiny apartment and made her stay.”

Whitley hummed at that. “And... you’ll help me? With... with all this?” He gestured to himself as if he were pointing out a mess on the floor, but in a jovial way.

“Yup.”

“You’ll answer all my random questions about werewolves?”

“Sure will.” She  _ finally _ began to pull into their little driveway. Once the car was parked, she turned around, giving him a smirk.  _ “After _ pizza.”

“Yes,” Whitley smiled. “After pizza.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> If you're interested, check out my independent video game, Nowhere New, on Steam and Itch!  
> Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1330800/Nowhere_New/  
> Itch: https://spacegirlstudios.itch.io/nowhere-new
> 
> That's all for today! See you next chapter!
> 
> -Red


	28. Belong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning - there's a segment between Ruby and Weiss that gets *quite* a bit spicy. Almost all of the intimacy in this fic has been more of an expression of love and trust than about... well... the more *physical* stuff. The segment in this chapter does lean a significant amount closer to the latter, though it's definitely not a full-on X-rated scene or anything. I feel comfortable including the scene without adjusting the fic's rating, though for those who want to skip it, it's after the second horizontal line, and is done by the third one.
> 
> Also, this is the second-to-last chapter. Sorry I'd been taking so long with this, I was juggling around the various moments that I wanted to show before the end, what could go together, what needed its own chapter and what didn't, etc. - but now that this chapter is written, I'm confident that I only need one more before we go to Atlas. I hope you're all as excited as I am.
> 
> With that said, please enjoy...
> 
> -R

“I  _ still _ think it’s hilarious that you got flirted with by a  _ boy, _ Pup,” Yang said with a laugh.

The four of them were enjoying a quiet November afternoon in Blake and Yang’s apartment. Yang had finished up her homework for the afternoon and was now scrolling through social media. Blake was reading a book, taking notes from it occasionally for class. Weiss was most of the way through an essay, just wrapping up the conclusion.

And Ruby was finalizing their claim on their Pack’s territory.

“Yes - we’re interested in taking half of that city block,” Ruby said over her scroll. Weiss and Yang paused, letting her have her conversation for a second. She sighed, standing up from her laptop to walk into Blake and Yang’s bedroom. “Well, we don’t  _ need _ that little area across the street - I know that there’s another Pack relatively nearby...”

Yang and Weiss watched her leave before Weiss immediately picked up the thread.

“Yes, it was  _ very _ funny - I particularly liked how he absolutely refused to take a hint,” Weiss said, her arms crossed. 

“Well, it’s because you look straight!” Yang protested. “I mean, yeah, that guy was a total creep, but like... you’ve got to admit that he didn’t  _ knowingly _ flirt with a lesbian.”

“Don’t  _ you _ ‘look straight,’ too?” Weiss asked. “I mean, we both have long hair, wear makeup...”

“Sure, but I’m tall and buff,” Yang said.

“Ah, because lesbians are easily identified by height and muscle mass,” Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t you get hit on by men, too? I mean, you’re not exactly as obviously gay as Ruby or even Blake.”

“For the record,  _ I _ look bisexual,” Blake said, not even looking up from her book.

Weiss shrugged in acknowledgement. “Still.”

“I mean... on the one hand, yeah, I have long hair, and I almost always leave the house with eyeliner and stuff, because I’m trans,” Yang said. “But come on. Do you really think some  _ straight man _ is asking  _ this _ to dinner?” She flexed a bicep, pointing to it.

“I fail to see how being physically strong would ward off men.” Weiss paused. “Aside from the fact that you could probably fight them and win.”

“Exactly!” Yang said.  _ “I _ can conform to traditional femininity or whatever because I’m  _ terrifying _ for straight men. You, though...”

“What?” Weiss asked. “I don’t  _ pump iron _ or anything, but I’m fit!”

“‘Fit’ and ‘buff’ are two  _ very _ different things.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “This all seems rather arbitrary.”

“It is,” Blake said readily. “But you’re petite, you wear dresses and makeup... your hair is  _ shorter _ but it’s not  _ short...  _ you’re kind of a straight dude’s ideal type.”

Weiss let out a sigh. “Well, what does one do to ‘look gayer?’”

“Get a septum piercing,” Yang said instantly.

“I think I’ll pass.”

“Okay!” Ruby said, walking back into the room. “All right, thank you so much! Yep - I’ll call if I have any questions. Thank you.” She pulled her scroll away from her ear with a beleaguered sigh, and ended the call. 

Three sets of eyes looked up at her.

“We got it,” she said, a smile spreading across her face.

The three of them immediately dropped what they were doing to pull her into a hug, all shouting with excitement. 

“So we’re an official Pack now?”

“How much of the woods did we get?”  
“When is our territory finalized?”

Ruby laughed, answering Blake, Yang, and Weiss’ questions in order.

“Pretty much - it’s just gotta be announced to all existing Packs next week. We got around ten square miles, which is less than I wanted but will probably do fine until we become a bit more respected. And  _ technically _ it’s finalized right now, but most wolves won’t really know until it’s announced, which again, is next week.”

She took in a breath from saying that mouthful, which garnered a chuckle from the trio.

“Thank you for doing all of that, Ruby,” Weiss said sincerely. She knew how frustrating the process had been - Ruby had spent the better half of the last  _ four _ nights in their room on her scroll. The Committee didn’t often send emails, considering that their content was theoretically saved on the internet forever, which didn’t really preserve their secrecy.

The frustrating result, then, was that basically  _ everything _ related to Packs involved Ruby making a scroll call.

“Yeah, seriously,” Blake said. “We really appreciate it.”

Ruby smiled, leaning out of their group hug to get a good look at the three of them.

“Anything for my girls,” she said, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “I just... I’m  _ so _ glad that we can do this. That we can  _ be _ this - be a family, with each other.” Her eyes got a little bit wet. “I’m so glad you’re all my packmates.”

“Aww, c’mere, you little touchy-feely loser,” Yang said warmly, scooping Ruby off her feet into a bear hug. Weiss and Blake backed off for a moment - this was clearly just for the two of them.

“Shut up, you big stupid jerk,” Ruby said, hugging back.

“Never,” Yang said with a smile. She let go of Ruby without warning, making her stumble until Weiss caught her. “Now c’mon! Let’s get some pizza and celebrate!”

* * *

“So, what were you and Yang arguing about?” Ruby asked, her mouth full of pizza.

Weiss rolled her eyes, raising her voice enough that Yang could hear her from the couch while she sat at the kitchen table. “Well, your sister was just being  _ mean _ and telling me that I look straight!”

“It’s because you do!” Yang called back, easily returning to her conversation with Blake.

Weiss crossed her arms indignantly.

“You  _ do _ look kinda straight, Weiss,” Ruby laughed.

“Oh, not you too.”

They both chuckled and grabbed new slices. 

Because the four of them had different pizza orders, they usually got two larges, and each couple got their own toppings on one half. The problem was that Yang and Blake’s kitchen table was too small for both boxes, so Weiss and Ruby usually ended up being very careful while they ate above the couch.

Ruby chewed thoughtfully. “Y’know... there  _ are _ other ways to tell creepy guys like that that you’re taken. If they’re wolves, anyways.” Weiss noticed that she was keeping her voice down, as if she didn’t want Blake and Yang to hear. 

“Like what?”

Ruby blushed. “I... well, I could... um... I could bite you.”

Weiss tilted her head, her fingers ghosting over her right leg. “You  _ already _ bit me, Ruby.”

“Well  _ yeah,”  _ she spluttered. “But that was to Turn you - that’s different.”

“How so?”

Ruby looked over her shoulder, now  _ very _ concerned about Blake and Yang overhearing. “I... um... it’s sort of an  _ intimacy _ thing,” she whispered.

_ “Oh,” _ Weiss said, immediately laughing. Ruby blushed further and gestured for her to keep her voice down, even though Blake and Yang didn’t know what she was laughing  _ about. _ She narrowed her eyes, cracking a flirty little grin. “Perhaps a conversation for home, then?” 

“I... y-yeah,” Ruby said, completely helpless under her gaze. Weiss just smiled, taking a satisfied bite from her pizza. Ruby rolled her eyes. “Since when did  _ you _ get so good at flirting?”

“I’m just naturally gifted,” Weiss said with a smirk.

“Oh, of course - how silly of me.”

Blake looked at Yang. “Do they  _ really _ think we can’t hear them?”

“I missed the thing Ruby whispered,” Yang replied. “But the rest... yeah.”

“I missed that too,” Blake said, rolling her eyes. “Either way... wanna kick ‘em out?”

Yang blinked. “Weren’t we gonna do a movie?”

Blake gave Yang a look.

A  _ very specific _ look.

Yang nodded, standing up from the table. “Okay! Around when were you two thinking of heading home?”

* * *

Weiss and Ruby took their boots off, shaking the snow out in the kitchen to keep the carpet dry. Ruby put her jacket away first - Weiss took longer because her peacoat had so many buttons, though she soon felt a pair of arms wrap around her middle while she grabbed a coathanger.

“Well  _ you’re _ certainly not wasting any time,” she smirked, giving Ruby a side-eye over her shoulder. “What’s this ‘intimacy thing’ you’re so eager to show me?”

“We don’t  _ have _ to do it, if you don’t want,” Ruby said, leaning back a bit. “I just... it came to mind, and...”

“Well, now you’ve got me curious,” Weiss said, hanging up her coat and turning around in Ruby’s arms. She gave her an expectant look.

“So, um...” Ruby flushed again, looking away. Weiss, smirking a little, began to gently coax Ruby to her bed, sitting up on top of the covers. She patted the area across from her until Ruby hopped up as well, and Weiss  _ started _ to lean in for a kiss, but then Ruby started talking.

“You know how Yang, Blake and I can, like, partially shift into our other forms? Where we make just fangs or just claws but not the  _ whole _ thing?”

Weiss stopped, blinking. 

Well  _ that _ was a non-sequitur.

“Somewhat,” Weiss said. “I remember seeing you shift a pair of claws in that alleyway the night you Turned me, but I guess I never thought to ask about it.”

“There was a lot going on that night,” Ruby chuckled. “It’s not a thing we’ve had you try yet, because it’s super hard. Yang can make claws when she really wants to, but I didn’t even know I could until the night when we fought those guys.” She shrugged. “I bet Blake’s  _ amazing _ at it, though.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Weiss laughed. She’d never  _ seen _ her do this specific thing, but when it came to transforming, Blake easily outclassed all three of them. “Where are you going with this, Ruby?”

She blushed again. “O-oh, um...” she scratched behind an ear. “So, you know how the other week, we uh...” she leaned forward, bringing Weiss in for a kiss. Weiss’ eyes fluttered shut and she pulled Ruby down on top of her, her fingers burying themselves in Ruby’s hair. Ruby broke their kiss, and instead leaned down a bit further, bringing her lips down to press against Weiss’ neck. Weiss let out a deep hum of approval, tilting her head to the side to give Ruby better access. 

However, Ruby then pulled away, leaning back until she could meet Weiss’ eyes. Their faces weren’t  _ too _ close - it seemed that she wanted to pause their intimacy. 

“... we started doing  _ that?” _ Ruby asked.

Weiss blinked for a moment, putting the two halves of her sentence together. “I remember, yes. I - wait, when we started, you specifically asked me  _ not _ to bite you. Didn’t you say this was about biting?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “I asked you not to because biting means a bit  _ more _ for us than it does for humans.” She sat back, pulling Weiss back up to a seated position. “Also, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to shift fangs when you did it.”

“I don’t think I’m that good at transforming yet.”

“Probably not. But I was worried that maybe your instincts would kick in and shift them _for_ you when you did it - and while I’m not even necessarily _opposed,_ I would _really_ _like to know in advance_ rather than be surprised...” 

Weiss just raised an eyebrow, rather lost.

Ruby stopped and collected herself. “Okay. So, when two wolves have been together for a decent chunk of time, and they want to show that they’re, like...  _ committed _ to each other, I guess...” she met Weiss’ eyes. “One of them will leave some bite marks on the other - usually around the shoulders or the neck, in a place that they  _ can _ conceal, but can also show off if they wanna let other weres know that they’re, um...” she flushed again.  _ “Taken.” _

“Is it... is it  _ permanent?” _ Weiss asked, her hand ghosting over her thigh.

“No, absolutely not,” Ruby said, making Weiss exhale in relief. “Injuries from other weres are only permanent if we’re  _ fully _ shifted, and that wouldn’t be the case here. Instead, I would just...” she concentrated for a beat and opened her mouth to show a set of fangs. They  _ almost _ looked like Winter’s or Robyn’s for a moment, but there were differences - Winter and Robyn had  _ only _ a long pair of incisors when they showed their teeth, but Ruby’s entire mouth had changed a little bit, more reminiscent of her wolf. She closed her mouth and swallowed, returning to normal. “I’d just use those.”

“Okay...” Weiss said slowly. “So... how long would the mark last, do you think?”

“A couple weeks,” she said. “Month and a half at most? But it’s pretty easy to do a fresh mark when the old one fades.”

Weiss thought for a moment. “Oh, it’s going to  _ hurt, _ isn’t it?”

Ruby winced, rubbing the back of her neck. “... yeah.” Weiss looked down at this, causing Ruby to practically leap forwards in reassurance. “You don’t have to! Like I said earlier, it’s  _ totally _ up to you, if you don’t wanna. I just... I dunno, it came to mind when you were talking about that guy who flirted with you, and...” she sighed. “Sorry. I just...”

“Ruby,” Weiss said, putting a gentle hand on her knee. “Don’t feel bad for offering. You’re not coercing me or anything - you gave me a choice, and plenty of information about it. You’re not being predatory for  _ asking, _ okay?”

“O-okay,” Ruby said, still a bit crestfallen. “I... you don’t want to do it though, right?”

“I...” Weiss paused, hugging her knees to her chest. “Honestly? I  _ want _ to.”

Ruby perked up at this in surprise. Weiss squeezed herself a bit tighter.

“I’m just... scared.”

“Because it’ll hurt?” Ruby asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Weiss admitted, letting the gentle contact pull her out to sit normally again. “I just... here. Lie with me for a minute?”

“Always,” Ruby said, leaning back on her pillow, already accustomed to making the perfect amount of space for Weiss to fit in her arms. Weiss gratefully leaned her head against Ruby’s chest, letting out a happy sigh as she started scratching behind her ears.

“I... I know we  _ should _ be taking things slowly,” Weiss finally said. “I mean, you’re the first girl I’ve ever dated, we’re both just freshmen in college...”

Ruby let out a low hum, understanding. “Yeah. This was probably too soon - I’m sorry.”

“See, that’s the thing,” Weiss said. She surprised Ruby by rolling onto her stomach, laying her chin on the backs of her hands. Ruby blushed. Weiss had - probably accidentally - put her hands  _ directly _ on each of Ruby’s breasts. She’d woken up on Yang that way after the moon, but this was a  _ very _ different context...

“Sorry,” she said, scooching down until her hands were on Ruby’s stomach instead. “I... what I was  _ going _ to say was... it’s  _ not _ too soon. At least, it doesn’t feel that way to me.”

“Okay,” Ruby said slowly. “So... what’re you thinking, then?”

“I don’t know,” she said, a bit frustrated with herself. “I... I  _ really _ like you, Ruby. I mean, I’ve already said I’m in love with you - and I still feel that way.” She chuckled a bit. “And upon reflection, that’s maybe a  _ bit _ unusual to say before you even kiss someone for the first time, but...”

Ruby laughed. “Yeah, nobody could accuse us of doing things the ‘usual way.’”

“Perhaps not,” Weiss agreed. “I just... before, we’ve been really careful about our intimacy. And I think I needed that - I mean, we’re roommates, we see each other naked  _ at least _ once a month, we even ‘sleep together,’ though not in the euphemistic sense...”

Ruby snorted out a laugh, nodding along. She reached up with a hand to brush Weiss’ bangs out of her eyes, smiling as it made her tail wag back and forth in the air.

“But... I dunno. I think there are a few other steps we should take, first. Before we do... that.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Weiss blushed. “I... whenever we kiss, we’re always fully clothed.”

Ruby made a face, considering that. “I mean... I kiss you goodnight and stuff when we’re in our pajamas - do you count that as ‘fully clothed?’”

Weiss exhaled, giving her a look. “When I say ‘kiss,’ I don’t just mean something light and romantic. I mean...” she sighed, giving up on the idea of talking around it. “I mean making out.”

“Ohhh,” Ruby said. She blushed. “I... do you want to change that?”

Weiss’ cheeks also reddened. She quickly moved herself up, kneeling above Ruby, her hands reaching for the hem of her top. Ruby sat up as well, quickly matching her position before gently covering her hands, stopping her. Weiss met her eyes with confusion.

“I... wait,” Ruby said. “Let me?”

Weiss blinked for a moment, nodding.

Ruby’s lips softly met her own as they descended into a familiar rhythm. Ruby cupped her cheeks as Weiss pulled her closer - but soon, she leaned in, her hands gently sliding down Weiss’ back until they reached the hem of her shirt. It was awkward for the slightest moment - she got it about halfway up Weiss’ chest before her arms were in the way. Weiss broke their kiss for a second with a laugh, holding her arms straight up in the air so Ruby could pull her shirt the rest of the way off, letting it collect in her right hand. Weiss pulled her in to resume their kiss, blindly tossing her shirt in the general direction of her bed - it most likely ended up on the floor, but that wasn’t her primary concern at the moment.

The mattress dipped as Weiss gently pushed Ruby’s back down onto it, her hands sliding underneath Ruby’s shirt to run along her abs. Ruby shivered as Weiss took her time, gently peeling it up until it pooled at the neckline, revealing Ruby’s nude sports bra.

“I’ve never seen this one before,” Weiss commented, gently coaxing Ruby up so that she could fully remove her shirt.

Ruby laughed. “I normally only wear it with scoop necks like this - all my other bras are black or red, and they show.”

“Mm...” Weiss hummed, bringing her lips down to Ruby’s neck.

  
  


They spent about half an hour like that, changing positions every so often. Ruby ended up on top eventually, though in doing so she accidentally pinned Weiss to the bed by her skirt for approximately the third time that evening.

“Sorry, this thing keeps getting caught,” Weiss said with a laugh.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said. “I... um... you don’t  _ have _ to keep wearing it. If you don’t want to.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “I... you’re sure?”

Ruby blushed. “Yeah.”

“All right,” Weiss said, unzipping her skirt at the side. Ruby pulled it down her legs, leaving only her tights. With a wordless, nervous grin, Weiss started pulling  _ those _ down too - though she kept her underwear on.

“O-oh...” Ruby said. “I... I wasn’t expecting -”

She froze when Weiss’ hands began to undo the belt on her jeans.

“I’m sorry - too much?”

Ruby swallowed thickly, her entire face on fire. Weiss’ hands had  _ stopped, _ but they hadn’t moved  _ away _ yet. “I - n-no, you just... you kinda surprised me is all...”

Soon the pair were lying on top of Ruby’s bed, wearing just their bras and their underwear.

Ruby paused for a moment, sitting back on her heels. Her tail gently swished back and forth as she looked down at Weiss, lying there underneath her. Weiss’ ears drooped in concern when she didn’t say anything.

“Ruby? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, a smile easily finding its way to her face. She cupped Weiss’ cheek, her finger gently sliding down her body. Weiss shivered as it respectfully navigated her cleavage, skipping over the white fabric of her bra before it lazily curled away from her stomach, wrapping around her lower back. “I just... I can’t believe how freaking gorgeous you are.”

She began to lean down slowly, ready to ease back into their previous kissing position. Weiss, however, was in no mood for delicacy after  _ that _ little comment, grabbing Ruby’s shoulders and practically forcing her down, pulling her into a desperate, needy kiss. She moaned softly into Ruby’s mouth as their breasts pushed together - it was such a unique, lovely feeling that she’d come to enjoy, even more so now that there was so little fabric between them.

The heat in their skin grew, their legs mingling together as they kissed. Perhaps because she was so needy, perhaps because she was out of breath, Weiss pulled away, her hand guiding Ruby’s head down to her neck. Ruby wordlessly obliged, her tail softly wagging in the air as Weiss panted aloud, biting her lip whenever Ruby found a particularly good spot. She brushed Weiss’ bra strap aside with her nose, making her way to the condensed muscle just above Weiss’ collarbone.

“Ruby,” Weiss said breathlessly, her fingers tightening in that lovely red hair.

Ruby just hummed in contentment, her lips travelling farther down.

“W-wait,” Weiss said, making Ruby instantly stop. She pulled back as if a switch had been thrown.

“You okay?” She asked, her eyes full of concern.

“I’m...  _ wonderful,” _ Weiss managed, taking a moment to catch her breath. She reached up to pull her bra strap back into place, though. “I just... this is as far as I’m ready to go, right now.”

“Okay,” Ruby said. “I... was the bra strap too far?”

“N-no,” Weiss admitted, flushing even more than she already was. “I just... it’s sexy, but it gets uncomfortable after a while.”

Ruby laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She sat up again, swinging her leg off of Weiss’ torso. “Want a break?”

Weiss sat up as well, stretching her arms. She let her tail out, bringing herself to sit in front of Ruby. Suddenly, her hands were on Ruby’s shoulders, and then she was flat on her back, staring up at the mischievous glint in Weiss’ eyes.

“I  _ could _ go for a break,” she mused. A wicked little grin spread across her face. “After this.”

Ruby almost cried out as Weiss’ lips  _ immediately _ found themselves on her neck.

  
  


* * *

Weiss’ face scrunched up with slight confusion as she read the page. According to Ruby, a monthly letter was sent out to all of the Packs in Vale, announcing minor things like Pack anniversaries, new members, shifts in territory, and the like, as well as new the establishment of new Packs. Said letter was apparently now going to be delivered to Ruby’s mailbox, considering that she was technically their leader, even though they’d ended up taking Blake and Yang’s building as their own territory. They hadn’t wanted to encroach on an older, larger group of wolves that technically laid claim to about half of their dorm. To her surprise, the announcement of their new Pack was the top billing on the letter, though she couldn’t quite grasp the name.

“R... W... B... Y?” She asked slowly.

“I mean... it stands for Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, right?” Yang asked, looking over her shoulder.

“But there’s no periods between the letters,” Blake said. “So...  _ is _ it an acronym?”

Ruby flushed, looking at the floor. “I... uh... it’s pronounced ‘ruby...’”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “You named our Pack after yourself?”

“Not on purpose!” she protested. “I just... they needed me to submit a name like right away, and I didn’t know what to put, and because I’m a disaster you guys were all doing stuff and I didn’t wanna bother you, so I kinda just... picked it.” She looked at the floor. 

“RWBY...” Yang said slowly, trying it on. “I don’t hate it, but I think you’ve lost privileges of naming things for a good while, Rubes.”

Her ears drooped. “I... I’m sorry, girls - I should have asked. We can totally change it if you want....”

“No, I like it,” Blake declared, making Yang and Weiss look at her. “I mean... I’m sure we’ll get pronunciation questions, but it’s definitely unique.”

“That’s true,” Yang agreed. 

“Plus... you  _ did _ make an obvious effort to include all of us,” Weiss said. From what she’d observed, other Pack names didn’t work similarly. Some were just a last name, like the Marigold Pack, which that boy Henry still belonged to, and which her sister’s roommate May had left about ten years ago. Others were just named arbitrarily - the group of seniors who had claimed a significant chunk of campus were the Beacon Boyz, with a ‘z,’ which she found unbearable. A rather large section of Vale’s financial district belonged to Hounds of Grey, the closest Pack to Tai’s house in Patch was called The Waxing Crescent... but none, as far as she could tell, were so deliberately member-specific.

“Yeah,” Yang said, warming up to the idea. “Plus you even made it so you and Weiss are next to each other, and so are Blake and me...”

“Plus we’re at the bookends, because we’re sisters,” Ruby said. She blushed. “I... um... it’s actually the way we normally sit during movie night.”

The three of them paused in a collective realization. Blake and Yang’s couch was a  _ bit _ small, which often led to someone sitting in Yang’s lap, but everyone just barely fit side-by-side on Ruby’s bed. Ruby herself was usually on the far left near the pillow, closest to her desk, and therefore to the movie. Her right arm often laid itself across Weiss’ shoulders, with Blake to  _ her _ right - though Blake’s head often ended up in Yang’s lap or Weiss’, depending on how closely she wanted to see the movie. Yang sat at an angle, her legs often intermingled with Blake’s, her left arm often around her middle. Though it also frequently ended up around Weiss’ shoulders at the times that Blake would lay out across their thighs in her panther, getting ear scritches from Ruby once she ran out of popcorn. None of them usually shifted for movie nights, but Blake would sometimes indulge, probably because she spread the least amount of fur on the others’ clothing.

“Oh, yeah,” Yang murmured. “Nice going, Rubes.”

Ruby smiled. “So... you guys don’t hate it?”

“No!” Weiss said, reassuring. She assessed Blake and Yang, who just nodded. She nodded back, leaning forward to kiss Ruby’s forehead. “We all really like it.”

Ruby closed her eyes with a smile, her ears gently drooping with soft satisfaction. She then leaned up to kiss Weiss in earnest, which was happily reciprocated, and then...

“Okay, Pup, no more kissing my sister,” Yang said, grabbing Weiss’ shoulders and -  _ gently _ \- pulling her off.

Weiss comically reached out for her still. “But... but!”

“And people say  _ we’re _ too into PDA,” Blake laughed.

“Aw, c’mon - we’re finally a Pack, like... for  _ real!” _ Ruby said.

“Yeah, so tonight’s about the  _ four _ of us,” Yang said. 

Weiss gave her a look. “So was last week, but you two kicked us out pretty early...”

Yang blushed. Blake just winked at Weiss, making her roll her eyes.

“Okay, okay,” Ruby laughed, setting up her computer monitor so that it was visible from the bed. “What do you guys want to watch?”

“Whatever you like,” Weiss said.

Ruby looked up at her in confusion - surely she  _ alone _ wasn’t going to decide their movie, Yang hated most of her favorites, and Blake could be a little picky...

All three of them stood there, looking at her expectantly.

“Wait... really?”

They nodded in unison.

“You’ve been working your butt off about all of this Pack stuff,” Blake said. “You deserve to pick the movie. We’ll watch whatever you like.”

Ruby gave her a snide little grin. “Are you  _ sure _ you want to give me that power?” She asked. “Because I  _ will _ make you guys watch anime. With subtitles.”

“I brought my glasses just in case,” Yang said, arms crossed, as if she were daring Ruby to challenge her on it. Blake and Weiss nodded in agreement.

Ruby’s heart melted.  _ “Girls...” _

“Here,” Weiss said. “You pick the movie, I’ll start making popcorn.”

Blake and Yang smoothed out Ruby’s covers and set up a delicate array of her pillows and Weiss’ in order to create a suitable backrest for them against the wall. When Ruby finished setting up the movie, she turned around to find Blake and Yang sitting a few feet apart, with an obvious gap between them. The microwave dinged, and Weiss soon came by with Ruby’s popcorn bowl in one hand, a bag of her favorite candy in the other. 

Ruby was unsure about sitting between Blake and Yang, because she still wanted to snuggle with Weiss in particular - but Weiss, seeming to know this, just gave her a reassuring nod. Ruby pulled her tail in and got situated - Yang laid her arm across Ruby’s upper back, Blake gently rested her head on Ruby’s shoulder. Weiss turned around and carefully sat in front of her, leaning her back against Ruby’s chest. They adjusted for a moment until things were comfortable, which involved Ruby basically manspreading so that Weiss’ weight didn’t rest on her thighs. Ruby’s arms were wrapped around her so she could still reach the popcorn.

“Wait...” Ruby said slowly. She stared at her computer monitor, which was still displaying an eager arrow in a circle over a still image. “We forgot to press ‘play.’”

“I got it,” Yang said with a laugh. She carefully extricated herself from the group - Weiss actually had to lean forward, because Yang was about half of her back support - but she started the movie. A cheesy anime-style intro began to play from her laptop’s speakers, with an enthusiastic woman singing at what sounded like almost impossible speeds. Yang turned around to look at them all, a smile spreading across her face.

“You were right, Rubes,” she said, squeezing back into her position in the group. Her arm tightened around Ruby’s shoulders for a moment. “I’m so glad that we’re all a family now.”

They all hummed in agreement as she kissed Ruby’s head and scratched at Blake’s ears, eliciting a satisfied  _ purr _ from her. To nearly everyone’s surprise, she also laid a tender, sisterly kiss between  _ Weiss’ _ ears, making them stand up for a moment with the unexpected contact. Weiss turned to face her, a silent question in her soft blue eyes.

“I’m sorry - was that not okay?”

Weiss blinked for a moment, briefly getting confirmation from Ruby. Yang watched them have a silent conversation with nothing but their eyes before sharing a nod.

“It... it  _ was, _ actually,” Weiss said, leaning back into Yang. “Thank you.”

Ruby gave Weiss a similar kiss, then looked to her left.

“... Blake? Can I...”

“I’m okay with it if you are.”

Ruby nodded, gently pressing her lips to the crown of Blake’s head. She let out a low, satisfied rumble, making Ruby giggle softly.

Blake’s fingers interlaced with Weiss’, and she gave her an encouraging squeeze.

Ruby’s heart swelled. She honestly hadn’t dared hope that the four of them could  _ truly _ be a family like this. She still only had eyes for Weiss, and she knew that everyone else was on the same page about that. But now, with Blake’s head on her shoulder, and Yang’s wrapped around them both, it felt like she had  _ two _ sisters, instead of one. From the sheer relaxation and comfort that she felt in Weiss’ posture, she knew that Weiss was thrilled about now having  _ three. _ Blake, she knew, was an only child, at least in the genetic sense. But growing up in the White Fang had given her lots of brothers and sisters, in a way, and it seemed like this was something she’d missed ever since she had to leave it. Based on the things she’d said about them becoming a Pack -  _ and _ the way she was purring while leaning against Ruby and holding Weiss’ hand - it seemed that she was enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in something she thought she’d lost.

And she knew for a  _ fact _ that Yang had seen Weiss as a younger sister, even before she’d become a werewolf.

“I’m confused,” Weiss said, as the red-cloaked girl in with short blue hair and a rounded pair of ears on the screen was now surrounded by angry-looking men with clubs and sticks.  _ “Why _ do they hate this girl?”

“Because she’s part animal,” Ruby said. “People with animal parts are oppressed by humans in this world - they’re basically second-class citizens.”

“That seems a bit forced, don’t you think?” Blake asked.

Ruby chuckled. “Maybe a little. The premise isn’t  _ perfect, _ but I promise that the general character-driven story is still great - and the animation is  _ gorgeous.” _

“Yeah, no kidding,” Yang said as one of the men shot a crossbow bolt at a new woman who had appeared onscreen. She  _ effortlessly _ leapt over the shot, her coattails haloing her and smoothly transitioning into several shots of her body transforming into that of a clawed animal with pink skin.

“The main character’s pretty,” Weiss commented.

“Wow, you sure do have a type, huh, Snowflake?”

“I  _ do not!” _

“Girls, movie,” Blake said, already intrigued by the many dangling plot threads.

Weiss let out a little  _ ‘hmph’ _ as she crossed her arms, getting her an amused kiss on the head from Yang, and then from Ruby. Blake sat up a bit straighter, cracked her back, then leaned further into Ruby, her ears ever so slightly brushing against her neck.

Ruby’s smile was a mile wide. They really  _ were _ a family now.

And she’d do  _ anything _ to protect them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Our girls are now an *official* found family, and I wanted to display that with just how comfortable they've all become with one another. As I tried to state as explicitly as possible in the chapter, this isn't going to end up in polyamory - I'm not against that in the slightest, it's just not where this particular story is going. I basically wanted to express that aside from their romantic partners, these four are *more* than friends but still less than lovers, a type of relationship that probably needs its own word. I dunno - I just like writing soft, platonic snuggles and affection.
> 
> Also, I have another project up here on AO3 if you're interested in more of my writing! I promise I'm not just using WWoB to promote the other stuff I've done, but I basically ended up falling into this project by accident, and now it's almost 65,000 words. Not all of it is published yet, but you can definitely expect pretty rapid updates. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682380/chapters/62353390)  
> It's called Of Two Worlds, and it is a crazy, weird, self-indulgent fic about two of *my* D&D characters, one from 2030s London and the other from a traditional fantasy world, falling in love. They're actually both in the same campaign (but never the same combat). Think of it as a *slow* slowburn with something between Korrasami and Whiterose: Vivian is an elegant, rich CEO and Luxanna is a generally upbeat, pure-hearted warrior who's also a badass. This fic has some of the best writing that I feel like I have *ever done,* and I'm extremely proud of it, so *please* give it a shot!!!
> 
> That's all for now! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying the Werewolf of Beacon!  
> See you all in the finale, and then in the sequel!
> 
> EDIT: This work has reached 1000 kudos. I am grateful beyond words, thank you all. If you'd like, leave a comment suggesting a topic for the bonus chapter - I'll pick one and write it out!
> 
> -R


	29. What Follows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... here we are. 
> 
> Sorry for the long wait - I've been moving for the past few weeks, and had about half of this thing written before I finally returned to my home city to finish it off.
> 
> As a note, this chapter also gets spicy, just like last time - skip from the fourth horizontal dividing line to the fifth if you're not comfortable with that sort of content.
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy this, the very final chapter of the Werewolf of Beacon...
> 
> -Red

“U-um… sir?”

The masked man looked up from his meditation, slowly turning to look over his shoulder. The young werewolf swallowed thickly, clutching the paper in his hand, his tail hanging low.

“Yes?” The man asked evenly.

“S-sorry to disturb you - you see, my cousin is a member of a Pack in Vale, and he called me yesterday. He’s not really a member or anything, but he supports the cause and -”

“Get to the point.”

The young wolf swallowed again. “R-right.”

He walked forward, extending the folded piece of paper. The man tilted his head, allowing the last bit of sunlight in the sky to play off of the jet-black horns that extended from his reddish hair. He made no move to take it.

“What is this?”

“I-it’s an official Pack bulletin, sent out to all of the wolves in Vale. Th-there’s a new pack, established last month. One of the lieutenants saw it and told me to show you. Something about a…” his voice got soft with nervousness. “A t-traitor?”

Adam snatched the letter from the wolf’s hands, making him yelp and jump backwards. Ignoring the hapless recruit, Adam carefully unfolded the letter, smoothing it out and reading it.

_ Those of us in the Committee are pleased to announce the formation of a new Pack in Vale!  _

_ The information regarding the Pack’s members and territory are listed below. _

_ May the Moon shine brightly upon them! _ _  
  
_

_ RWBY _

_ Ruby Rose, werewolf (Pack Leader) _

_ Weiss Schnee, Turned werewolf _

_ Blake Belladonna, werepanther _

_ Yang Xiao Long, werewolf _

Underneath the names was a map of Vale, where several segments had been outlined in grey and labeled by Pack. Two segments stood out as new - around half of a city block near Beacon College, and a small chunk of the woods several miles away, nestled between the territories of two larger Packs. He committed both locations to memory.

Adam’s eyes narrowed as he read the other names again. The ‘Xiao Long’ girl must be that bitch who’d taken his eye - he remembered the first name. The Schnee girl was certainly a surprise, as the last he’d heard, she was on her way to following in her father’s footsteps.

And apparently, all three of them had decided to follow some whelp named “Ruby Rose.”

How very, very…  _ interesting. _

“Uh… s-sir?” The wolf behind him asked. “Is it her? The… the Belladonna girl?”

Adam crushed the paper in his fingertips, his fist clenched so tightly that his entire arm began to shake.

“The Belladonna girl,” he echoed, the calmness in his voice betraying none of the rage that was boiling inside of him. 

The wolf behind him nodded awkwardly, and Adam dismissed him with a wave of his hand. He bowed slightly, running back down the hill like his life depended on it. Adam turned his back on the encampment down below, his eyes fixed on the horizon in the final moments of dusk. He let the paper go, watching it drift lazily in the breeze. Exhaling, he let himself say his beloved’s name again.

“Blake.”

* * *

“Daaaaaad,” Ruby called through the door. “Are you ready yet?”

“Not yet!” came Tai’s muffled voice.

“Ruby, it’s eight in the morning,” Weiss sighed, running a brush through her hair. “Give him some time to finish setting up.”

“You’re lucky she even slept in this late,” Yang yawned, her bare arms quite visible in her soft cotton sleep shirt. “When we were kids, Dad had to wake up at  _ four, _ because he knew Ruby would be up at five.”

“That sounds like Ruby,” Blake murmured, her head still down on the pillow.

“It’s better than not being awake yet!” Ruby almost shouted. “Come on, Blake - it’s  _ Christmas!” _

The RWBY Pack found themselves in Ruby and Yang’s childhood bedroom. While finishing out the fall semester, they had talked it over and agreed to spend the holiday together. Blake still wanted to see her parents in Menagerie, and Weiss had decided that she was going to splurge on a plane ticket to Mantle at some point over the break - but while their biological families were still very important to them, their first Christmas as a Pack was something that they all wanted to spend together. So, they’d come up with a plan to stay at Tai’s home until around the 28th, and then Blake and Weiss would head to Menagerie and Mantle respectively, for the new year. 

Yang and Ruby talked it over with their father, and had each decided to accompany her girlfriend - the Belladonnas hadn’t met Yang in person, and Winter and Robyn were also interested in meeting Ruby. Their uncle Qrow couldn’t quite make Christmas because his job made him constantly travel, but he’d promised to spend the new year with Tai, because neither of them had any other family in the area. Ruby was glad that her father wouldn’t have to be alone.

Blake and Weiss had moved in for a little while, each bringing their backpacks and a suitcase, with the rest of their belongings stowed safely back at Beacon. It had been a bit of a challenge, initially, to accommodate all four of them in the same house,  _ especially _ when it came to counter space and shower times in the bathroom. But overall, things were working out. Blake had mostly overcome her objections about sharing a twin bed with Yang, though they’d woken up to find her curled up on the floor in her panther for two or three mornings so far. Weiss was plenty accustomed to sharing a twin with Ruby, but she’d joined Blake on the floor once when Ruby wouldn’t stop fidgeting in her sleep.

And now, here they were on the morning of December 25th, all in various states of wakefulness.

And undress.

“Yang, do you  _ have _ to take your shirt off  _ right _ in front of me like that?”

“What?” A topless Yang asked, moving to her dresser. “You’ve seen it all before.”

“That doesn’t mean I want an eyeful  _ every single morning,” _ Weiss said with a sigh.

“I assume Ruby’s a bit of an exception,” Blake chuckled, shamelessly looking directly at Yang’s chest while she changed.

_ “Ruby _ has the decency to at least turn her back,” Weiss said.

Ruby blinked. “Oh, I just stand in front of my dresser because my laundry hamper is right there,” she said. She smirked at Weiss. “Did you want me to do it differently?”

_ “No.”  _ Weiss flushed. “A-at least, not yet... and certainly not  _ every _ morning...”

Yang let out a bright laugh. “It’s just because you’re jealous.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Yang turned to face her, clad in only a bra. “Of  _ these.” _

Weiss’ face was now a shade of red perfectly fitting the holiday. “I am  _ not!” _

“I would be,” Blake said nonchalantly, finally picking her head up from the pillow. She slinked over to Yang, kneeling on the bed and kissing her cheek from behind. “But  _ I _ get to hold them whenever I want, so...” She immediately demonstrated this fact, earning a hearty laugh and a scratch behind the ears from Yang.

Weiss turned to Ruby. “I can’t  _ believe _ them.”

“You can hold  _ mine, _ if you want to,” Ruby said, her offer genuine.

“I know,” Weiss sighed, rolling her eyes. “And that’s lovely, but it’s not the  _ point.” _

“And what  _ is _ the point?” Blake asked, reluctantly letting Yang go to finish changing.

“The  _ point _ is that I don’t need them in my face every day!” Weiss said.

“Fine, fine, I’ll turn my back from now on,” Yang said. She smirked.  _ “If _ you admit you’re jealous.”

_ “I am NOT -” _

“Almost ready!” Tai called out, stopping the argument. In the resulting silence, they all heard the soft sound of holiday music, and the gentle crackling of the fireplace. 

The four of them began actually committing to getting ready, instead of just taking their time and talking.

Weiss selected a simple red skirt with black tights and a white t-shirt. She got cold rather easily, so she also had a warm grey shrug and a pair of comically fluffy slippers over her tights.

Yang had chosen a simple orange tank top and grey sweatpants, and had apparently decided to put her hair up in a ponytail instead of dealing with brushing it that morning. The result was at least a little bit odd, because she had her tail out with no ears, but her long golden mane was such a hassle that it was genuinely more comfortable for her to leave it un-brushed than it was to get it to the point where her ears could poke through comfortably.

Blake had thrown on a fuzzy black sweater and a comfy pair of blue jeans. The warm sweater hung off of her shoulders just a tad, revealing at least one black bra strap at any given time, but that somehow just complimented the simplicity of the look rather than making it seem lazy.

Ruby stayed in her pajamas, though they were a very special pair - rather than a separate top and bottom, it was all one unit, pink and silly, meant to emulate a corgi. The outfit had apparently once sported a tiny little tail, but there was instead a hole there to accommodate Ruby’s. The hood of the onesie (again, meant to represent a dog’s face) hung backwards off her shoulders, and she wore a pair of fuzzy pink socks, just  _ slightly _ off from the rest of the color scheme. Weiss thought the whole outfit looked like it would get dreadfully hot, but Ruby didn’t seem to mind.

“Okay Dad, we’re ready!” Ruby called, once everyone was mostly prepared for the holiday.

“Just  _ one _ more box...” Tai replied through the door. “Okay! Merry Christmas, girls!”

Ruby burst out the door, faster than any of them - by the time Weiss got a look at the tree and the presents that Tai had laid out, she was already sitting on the couch, nearly bouncing with excitement. Blake and Yang filed past her, the former with a yawn. Yang took the armchair next to Tai’s, with Blake sitting on the floor in front of her, using Yang’s legs as a backrest. 

Tai’s Christmas tree sat in the far corner, surrounded by presents. To the right was the Rose/Xiao Long family’s fireplace, with five stockings hanging from it - only three were labelled with names. They hadn’t had time to prepare one for Weiss, and Blake’s family hadn’t had one to send over since they were Jewish. Upon learning this from Yang, Weiss and Ruby had snuck out with her to buy Blake a small menorah for the holiday. She’d been overjoyed at the surprise gift, and had lit the candles at the same time as her parents over video call each day. It still rested in the windowsill next to the tree.

Weiss knew that the tree was artificial - she’d watched with fascination as Ruby and Yang had taken it out of a box and assembled it a week or so ago. Apparently, Summer had been allergic, and Yang had discovered she was the same when she was around fifteen. Tai’s fingers also apparently inflamed when he touched the sap too much while decorating, so only Ruby could fully interact with a living tree without having  _ some _ kind of reaction. The family used a rainbow array of lights (which was fitting, considering how many LGBT+ people were in the house), and tons of different ornaments. They were all packed with meaning - there was the one that Summer had bought for Yang when she tried martial arts, a little girl with a black belt. An artist’s easel and paintbrushes for Ruby when she first started getting really into art classes, a crystalline tree for each sister with the years of their respective births printed on them, a plethora of fishing-related ornaments for Tai, a cooking pot and pans for Ruby, a little motorcycle for Yang...

And near the top of the tree, front and center, was a framed black-and-white photograph of Summer Rose.

“What should we open first?” Ruby shouted, pulling Weiss out of her thoughts. She and Ruby shared the couch - there was a surprising amount of space between them, though she knew it was because they’d soon have presents gathered around.

“Out-of-town presents first,” Tai said. He gestured to a surprisingly thick stack of letters piled up under the tree. “Weiss, Blake, your family’s gifts are exempt from our long-held rule, because  _ most _ of your presents came from out of town. But still, start with the cards.”

Ruby and Yang both had cards from Qrow, and from their grandparents on Tai’s side of the family. Blake had a card from her parents. To Weiss’ surprise, in addition to Winter and Robyn’s card, she also had one from May, Fiona, and Joanna - though they’d likely been sent together, considering that neither envelope was addressed or stamped.

Winter’s elegant, flowy cursive was a bit tough to read, but she could still make it out:

_ Weiss, _

_ It’s been so long since I’ve written a Christmas card. I honestly don’t know what to say - I assume I could just take a page from Mother’s book and hire a man to write “I hope that your holiday is happy, healthy, and fun!” on a thousand identical cards with my face on it and send them to every acquaintance I’ve ever made, but that doesn’t seem appropriately personal for the occasion. _

Weiss let out a small laugh before she kept reading.

_ I’m so very glad to have you in my life again. My holidays never got TOO lonely with Robyn and the wolves around, but it’s still wonderful to have you as a part of my celebration this year. Whitley’s presence was... unexpected, I suppose - but very welcome. I just hope he isn’t expecting a gold watch in his stocking this year. _

Weiss laughed again - since when was her sister  _ funny? _

_ Anyways, I’m so delighted that you’ll be with us for New Year’s. May, Fiona, and Joanna have everything set when it comes to the moon on the 30th, they wrote out some details in their own card.  _

_ I can’t wait to see you, Weiss. Have a very happy holiday. _

_ -Winter _

Below Winter’s message was a short one in a simple but neat print handwriting.

_ Hey, Weiss. I’m not really one for big paragraphs (and Sappy Snowflake here took up all the space) but I’m looking forward to meeting you and Pipsqueak. Hope you like brownies! _

_ -Robyn _

Weiss found herself smiling from ear-to-ear. It was so very strange, how much her life had changed since that September. She’d gone from a human girl with useful acquaintances and no friends or close family members to a werewolf with a Pack of the three most amazing people she’d ever met, as well as an extended friend group and a better relationship with her brother and sister than she could have ever dreamed.

It was true that their father still loomed somewhere in the shadows, and they still didn’t know  _ why _ he’d suddenly returned to Atlas. But they hadn’t heard from him in any capacity, and Weiss was more than glad to be left alone for a while.

“Hey, Weiss,” Ruby said. “Ready to do the presents we all got each other?”

She nodded, and was immediately presented with two thin boxes - one was only about four by six inches, and the other was somewhat larger.

“Open ours first, the small one,” Blake said.

“And the other one’s mine!” Ruby chirped.

Weiss smiled.

It was good to spend the holiday with her family.

* * *

“What’dja get? What’dja get?”

Ruby leaned over to Weiss, but it was difficult considering the stack of still-wrapped presents between them that she didn’t want to crush. Weiss’ posture almost completely blocked the small gift she’d gotten from Blake and Yang, and she frustratingly ignored Ruby’s desire to see it. She  _ finally _ looked up, giving Ruby a glance at the thin black box she was holding - there was elegant cursive inscribed in gold across the top.

“This is lovely - Thank you both.”

“Blake picked it out,” Yang said. “But underneath is a little card from me.”

“What is it?” Ruby asked.

Weiss opened the box on its hinge to show a little mirror on the top layer, and several rounded squares of different colors on the bottom one.

“It’s a new eyeshadow palette from an artist we both like,” Blake explained to everyone. “I think that that silver will look  _ amazing _ on you.”

Weiss blushed, looking back to the box for Yang’s card.

“One... free... ride?” She asked, reading Yang’s handwriting.

“On Bumblebee!” Yang explained. “Any time you need to go somewhere in Vale and you don’t wanna walk or take the train, just call me up and say you’re using that. I’ll go wherever, stay as long as you need, and take you home.” She gave a sheepish little shrug. “As long as I’m not working or in class.”

Weiss raised a teasing eyebrow. “I thought you said you wouldn’t let me ride it.”

“Well, Pup, you’ve finally earned my trust,” she said, taking a sip of her cocoa. “Besides, if you fall off, your super-healing is  _ probably _ enough to make sure you don’t die.”

Weiss rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Thank you.”

“Open mine, Ruby,” Tai said. “From one kitchenmaster to another.”

Ruby looked at her pile and spotted the obviously pan-shaped present. Tai  _ had _ wrapped it, but he couldn’t conceal the handle that poked out - and the wrapping there was already falling apart a little, just from her carrying it.

Ruby gasped as she tore open the wrapping. “A cast-iron? YES!” She leapt to her feet, crossing the room to crush her father in a hug. “Oh man, I can’t  _ wait _ to do smash burgers with this!”

Tai grinned. “I took the liberty of getting ready to do just that - we have a turkey tonight, but how about you and I try and make ‘em tomorrow for lunch?”

“Sounds great!” She said, sitting back down on the couch.

“Forgive my lack of cooking expertise, but what’s the difference between this and the pan we have back at Beacon?” Weiss asked.

Ruby grinned, handing it to her - and watching it fall almost to her lap before she realized how heavy it was.

“It’s a cast-iron, so it’s super heavy, doesn’t rust, and you can do cool stuff with it because it builds up a layer of seasonings. Check out the smash burgers that we make tomorrow - I’m basically just gonna make a few balls of hamburger meat and -” she pantomimed it “- _ smash _ ‘em down on the pan! They cook super fast.”

Several more gifts went around. They’d all gotten a new kitchen apron for Tai, along with a pair of oven mitts, because Ruby was sick of using the pair that had massive brown splotches right near the thumbs from decades of use. Blake had gotten Ruby a new set of high-quality art pencils that she couldn’t wait to try, and Yang had found her a few old cassettes from some bands she’d never heard before. Blake’s parents had sent her a whole stack of novels, and Ruby and Weiss had picked out a few new tops to add to her wardrobe. Yang bought her a necklace with a gorgeous purple gem hanging from it - there was actually a brief panic because it  _ seemed _ like the chain links were made of silver, but Yang touched it to no ill effect, assuring them all that it was actually made of platinum.

Yang got a new desk lamp from Tai, and a sturdy pair of winter gloves from Blake. There was also some murmuring about her ‘real present,’ and based on the blush on Yang’s cheeks, Ruby figured she’d have to ask Weiss if she wanted to go for a run in the woods for an hour or two to be out of the house later that evening.

“Open ours next, Yang,” Weiss said, making Ruby grin.

“Okay -  _ look _ at this thing,” she said, hefting up the big box next to her. Ruby giddily watched her tear at the paper until she pulled out a pair of calf-length brown motorcycle boots, all sturdy leather, and with three belts to fasten them securely.

“No  _ way!” _ She said, turning them over in her hands. Her fascination waned into concern, though, and she looked at Weiss. “Pup, I - these must have been expensive...”

“They were a number for me to know and you to never find out,” Weiss assured her. “But they’re entirely worth it, and they’ll last you for a very long time.” Her voice softened a bit. “I have the money, the market’s been doing really well lately. Okay?”

Yang just nodded, thankful.

“What’s left?” Tai asked, gathering up the remaining wrapping paper.

“Uhh...” Ruby looked through her pile.

“I still haven’t opened yours,” Weiss said, holding up the long thin box.

“Same here,” Ruby said, mirroring with Weiss’ gift. It was remarkably small, probably the container for a card.

“Who should go first?” 

“You, I think,” Ruby said. “I - it’s small, but I really hope you’ll like it.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow at the self-deprecation, but she happily opened the box.

“Oh, Ruby, it’s  _ beautiful...” _

Weiss pulled out an elegant, solid red scarf, her beautiful blue eyes lighting up with wonder as she turned it over in her hands. “Mm, it’s so soft...”

Ruby giggled as Weiss just shamelessly buried her face in the garment.

“Well, it’s getting colder and you don’t have one, plus you  _ know _ how good you look in red...”

Weiss rolled her eyes at the obvious flirting. She draped it over her neck in some fancy knot that Ruby had never seen - the gesture was so fluid she wondered if Weiss had sat down to practice tying it.

“I love it. Thank you.”

They met each others’ eyes for a moment, both softly blushing.

“Okay, lovebirds, it’s eleven thirty and Momma wants her Christmas pancakes,” Yang said, killing the moment. “Open Weiss’ gift already, Rubes!”

Ruby smiled, opening the package. She raised her eyebrows at the fact that it was just a gift card, but she found Weiss kneeling before her to explain.

“So, I  _ know _ how much you love gifts that include an experience, instead of just a thing,” she began. “And I’m still figuring out how to buy clothes for you with your whole ‘butch’ aesthetic...”

“She’s a futch at best,” Yang said, making Weiss exhale in slight frustration.

_ “So,” _ she continued, “I thought we could go shopping together in Mantle - probably after New Year’s. That’s to a store that I think you’ll really like - I’ve been there before and it’s a really fun place to shop...”

Ruby looked down at her girlfriend - her hands resting on Ruby’s knees, a slightly worried look under her smile, her gorgeous white ears drooping just a little bit in expectation.

A warm smile found its way to Ruby’s face as she leaned down to kiss Weiss’ forehead. She leaned back, grinning at the blush in Weiss’ cheeks.

“I love it. I can’t wait.”

They both jumped up into a hug, eliciting a fake-annoyed groan from Yang as she and Blake stood up and headed to the kitchen, thumbing the amethyst now hanging from her neck. As soon as Ruby saw them pass, she cupped Weiss’ cheek, pulling her in for a long, sweet, slow kiss to show her gratitude.

Weiss pulled away, her eyelashes fluttering beautifully, a contented grin on her cheeks.

“Ruby!” Tai called from the kitchen. “Are you gonna help me with these or what?”

Ruby gave Weiss one final peck on the forehead before they started heading to breakfast. Right before they crossed the threshold, Ruby whispered in Weiss’ ear.

“You wanna know the best part of that scarf?”

“Mm?”

“It’s perfect for concealing hickeys.”

Weiss was blushing for the entire meal.

* * *

Weiss shivered a bit in the crisp January air as she and Ruby walked back to the train station, several shopping bags in hand. They stood mostly alone on the platform, considering it was the middle of the day and most jobs had started back up by now, but they still didn’t have to fly back to Vale until tomorrow afternoon.

“So, what do you think? Successful shopping trip?” Weiss asked, promptly burying her nose in her new scarf from the chill in the air.

“Definitely,” Ruby said, grinning. She leaned over to kiss Weiss on the head as the train pulled in.

Their car was mostly empty, just shared with a few lone riders, mostly wearing headphones or otherwise occupied with their scrolls.

Well, it was probably as alone as they’d get until the evening, considering how full the Mantle house was.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Weiss said softly.

“Mm?” Ruby’s fingers had casually entwined with her own.

“Now that we’re about to head back home to Vale, and since the other wolves took us up to May’s cabin for the moon, so they won’t really see me without my clothes on again...”

Ruby just raised a wordless eyebrow.

Weiss blushed. “I... well... remember that  _ intimacy _ thing we talked about? Back in November, when our ‘family’ became official?”

_ “Oh,” _ Ruby said, her voice low. She met Weiss’ eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

Weiss nodded. “I’m sure.”

“You can take it back any time, though, okay?”

“I know.”

“And we don’t ever have to do it again, if you end up not liking it.”

“Okay.”

“I won’t be offended or anything, honest. What matters is that you feel comfortable.”

Weiss sighed. “Ruby, I’m  _ trying _ to ask you to bite my bare neck and leave a mark there for weeks - the least you could do is let me be a  _ little _ sexy about it.”

Before Ruby could respond, one of Weiss’ hands  _ may _ have brushed along her inner thigh, making her visibly shudder. She met Weiss’ eyes with a hungry look, which Weiss brightly covered with a kiss and a wink.

“I’m looking forward to tonight,” she said.

She didn’t respond - the blush on her cheeks said everything that Weiss needed to know.

  
  


* * *

So that was how they found themselves curled up together, in relative states of undress - a recent step that they’d taken was being topless together, though neither girl was quite ready to be intimate while fully nude. It was odd, in a way, considering that once a month, they  _ slept _ together like that. 

About a week ago, it had been just the two of them in a cuddle pile near May’s cabin, with the other three wolves giving them a respectable amount of distance once they bedded down from the moon. Weiss had initially been concerned about moons in the wintertime - their fur could keep them plenty warm, but that went away when the sun rose, and sleeping outside suddenly seemed less practical, even  _ with _ a blanket and sharing their body heat. However, May’s family had made a sizeable little burrow on the property, which even had a fire pit. That had shielded them from the elements for the most part, and according to Blake and Yang, there were some caves in their woods near campus that could shelter them from the wind once they spent a winter moon on campus.

“You’re thinking very loudly,” Ruby said, her lips softly brushing down Weiss’ neck.

“Sorry,” she laughed. “Just… had some were stuff on my mind. I’m okay.”

“Mm.”

Weiss just stared at the ceiling for a little while, content to experience Ruby’s languid expressions of intimacy while she ran her fingers through her hair. Ruby hummed once more with content when Weiss scratched at her ears. 

For the past however many minutes (it was impossible to tell, really, and she didn’t much care) Weiss had been lazily resting in a soft, wonderful bliss as she and Ruby just kissed each other. It had started with the lips, but now Ruby was on her neck. She swapped sides with a lazy shift of her weight, gently cupping Weiss’ opposite breast in her soft hand. What they were doing  _ was _ intimate - incredibly so - but there was a simplicity to it. A softness, an honesty. A significant amount of their make-out sessions were intense, even needy. And things were still that way a fair amount of the time, but recently, they’d fallen into this lovely, beautiful fugue where they’d just silently explore each other, slow, tender, and without urgency.

She remembered that urgency, though, and now that she was thinking about it…

Weiss cupped Ruby’s cheek, gently pulling her up so that their lips could connect. It remained slow at first, but rather than lazily holding her there, Weiss’ hands went exploring - first it was Ruby’s hair, then running down her  _ wonderfully _ bare back, to draw circles near the base of her tail, and finally, cup her bottom.

“Mm, hello,” Ruby said into her mouth.

Weiss just grinned into the kiss - her touches got more insistent, faster, more direct.

When their lips separated, her eyes sparkled with a delighted hunger.

Ruby blinked at this expression, unsure of how to react to it.

Weiss softly leaned up, her lips millimeters from Ruby’s ear.

“I’m ready, Ruby. I want you to mark me.”

She smiled with wicked satisfaction at Ruby’s blush when she pulled away. She watched her girlfriend swallow thickly, nod, and move towards the top of the bed.

“Okay, Weiss,” Ruby whispered, sliding to sit against their headboard, her legs spread wide. “Come here, and I’ll take care of you.”

Weiss softly slid over, her tail brushing Ruby’s leg before her bare back pressed into Ruby’s chest. She blushed as she could feel Ruby’s bare breasts, but that quickly stopped being a major concern when Ruby started  _ feeling _ Weiss’ for herself.

“So, here’s what we’re gonna do,” Ruby said, in-between laying soft kisses on her collarbone. They were light, unhurried - but they held a promise of what was to come. “I’m gonna hold you like this, and I want to make sure you’re sitting comfortably. Pull your tail in now if you want to, because once I start, you’re probably not gonna have time to reposition it.”

Weiss adjusted her posture, flicking her furry appendage to rest on Ruby’s other leg. It softly wagged with anticipation. She sat up a bit straighter, and Ruby did the same, to serve as better back support.

“First things first,” Ruby said. “Is there a particular side you want it on?”

Weiss considered that. “Maybe the left?”

Ruby left a long, slow kiss there on the tender bit of muscle just above her collarbone, the very top of her shoulder. “Here?”

“That’d be lovely.”

Ruby hummed. “You know, I never asked - is there a reason you gave me your right leg? That night when I Turned you?”

Weiss’ fingers brushed over the raised skin. It was a tic she’d recently noticed, but had apparently been doing for months, according to Ruby. Whenever someone mentioned her Turning, she could  _ feel _ the scar a bit more prominently, which always drew her hand to absentmindedly touch it, as if to settle it back down.

“Well, I thought a leg would be easiest to conceal,” she said. “And I chose the right one because I already have the fencing scar on my left eye, so I figured…” she giggled softly. “I might as well balance it out.”

“Fair enough,” Ruby laughed, and Weiss could feel the pulse of her breath on her shoulder. It made her whole body tingle with excitement. She heard Ruby inhale, a bit more serious. 

“Okay. I’m gonna start by kissing it for a while - I  _ can _ just bite down right away, but I think it’ll be easier if I soften up the muscle there, and the skin.” She began demonstrating, making Weiss’ heart flutter as she leaned into it.

_ “Okay…” _

“I figured you’d like that,” Ruby chuckled. “Once I think it’s ready, I’m gonna check in with you, and then bite down. I don’t want you to tense up when I do it - that’ll probably just make the pain worse.” Her hands pulled Weiss in closer, cupping both of her breasts from behind. She let out a soft, satisfied moan, exposing her neck further as her head lolled to the side.

“Don’t lean over too far,” Ruby said softly. “You’re stretching the muscle when you do that.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re fine.”

Weiss thought for a moment as Ruby kept kissing. “You… really know a lot about this.”

Ruby stopped, breathing a tiny, almost imperceptible sigh into Weiss’ shoulder. “I’ve done it before.”

“Oh…” Weiss said, her voice soft as she realized just  _ who _ Ruby must have done this with. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay,” Ruby murmured, now just  _ slightly _ less confident. She seemed to push through it, though. “I… it’s still really special to me. Because it’s with you.”

Weiss’ contented grin was a mile wide.

“I think we’re almost there,” Ruby said. “Last few things. Feel free to grab me anywhere you need to for support - pinch my leg, maybe hold my head there, that’s all fine. Just try not to jerk me around too much.”

“And… how  _ long _ will you bite down?” Weiss asked, just a little bit afraid as the moment got closer.

“As long as you’re comfortable with,” Ruby said. “I’ll let go on my own once the mark is deep enough, but if you need to, you can stop me before that. You  _ probably _ won’t be able to fully speak, so…” Ruby bent her knees, creating a firmer posture for herself, and giving Weiss easy access to something to hold on to. “If you need me to stop, you can just say ‘stop,’ or you can tap my knee a few times. Be obvious about it - if the pain becomes too much, I want you to let me know right away, and I’ll stop. You won’t hurt me if you hit it too hard, I promise.”

“Okay…” Weiss said, nervous at how much precaution Ruby was taking.

“I can feel you tensing up,” Ruby said, softly amused. She adjusted their posture again, running the fingers of her left hand along Weiss’ tail to calm her down. “Relax, Princess. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

Weiss closed her eyes, taking a deep, long breath. She felt her body’s tension slowly release.

_ “There _ you are,” Ruby murmured praisingly. She pulled her mouth away from Weiss’ shoulder for the first time in what felt like ages, leaning up to speak into her ear.

“Are you ready? It’s still not too late to back out.”

Weiss briefly considered it, but she shook her head. “I’m ready.”

Ruby cupped her cheek, pulling Weiss in for a kiss on the lips. When she moved away, there were fangs in her mouth, but her smile was still tender.

“I love you, Weiss.”

Her heart fluttered.

“I love you too, Ruby.”

“Here we go,” Ruby murmured, taking her time as she moved back to Weiss’ shoulder. “I’ve got you, Princess - just take a deep breath in…”

Weiss obeyed.

“Let it out.”

The air rushed out from her nose.

“Now just  _ relax…” _

Weiss let out a breathless gasp as she felt Ruby’s sharp incisors gently,  _ lovingly _ press beneath her skin. The reddened, tender flesh offered little resistance as Ruby slowly bit down further. The pain caught up to the surprise of the sensation, making her body involuntarily tense - but Ruby just held on tight, already anticipating her reaction. Weiss felt the desire to clap a hand over her mouth, but her limbs all locked up. Her heart rate rose, as did the heat in her chest, as the sensation continued. She kept a death grip on Ruby’s thighs, but Ruby was undeterred, ever dedicated. 

Weiss’ eyes fluttered. She wanted to lean back into the somehow  _ incredibly _ pleasurable pain, but she knew adjusting the angle of her neck would mess with Ruby, so she stayed firm. The tension eventually fell out of her body as she settled into the feeling, the sharp pain fading into a dull ache. Her legs slid out to lie flat on the bed, her left arm softly went up to languidly slide down Ruby’s cheek, eventually cupping the back of her head. Weiss finally opened her mouth, but not to scream - a low, sweet moan just echoed out from deep within her. She honestly would have found it  _ incredibly _ embarrassing if she weren’t in some lovely nowhere between agony and bliss that made it nearly impossible to think straight.

Time flowed on - she’d lost all sense of it what felt like an eternity ago. Her senses were still heightened, her heart still beating quickly. It seemed impossible to fully stop her body’s inherent sense of danger when it was  _ literally _ being pierced by the fangs of another creature, but there were layers of relaxation, bliss, and  _ trust _ on top of it. She was still definitely feeling pain, but it came from Ruby, and Ruby was safe. Ruby was the  _ embodiment _ of Weiss’ safety. Whenever she was nervous, scared, or lonely, all it would take was her touch, her gentle reassurance, and everything was all right. It was a literal, physical process - just a soft hand on her shoulder, one that knew  _ exactly _ how to touch her, was enough to make her heartbeat slow down, make her feel calm and protected.

It felt like her body itself was in love with Ruby Rose.

  
  


Slowly, delicately, as if adding the final, elegant touch to a painting, Ruby’s fangs removed themselves from her shoulder. She felt as much as heard her lover’s head fall back against the headboard. Ruby’s rigid body collapsed bonelessly beneath her, and Weiss immediately realized how much physical effort it must have been for  _ her. _ Slowly, agonizingly, Weiss sat up, turning around to face her.

“How was that?” Ruby breathed, a soft, ever-so-slightly smug smile on her face.

A hum of satisfaction escaped her as Weiss ran a thumb along her lover’s cheek.

“Ruby, I…” Weiss let out a contented sigh. “That was  _ amazing. _ Thank you.”

Ruby smiled, but her eyes betrayed an underlying worry. “Are you sure? It didn’t hurt too much?”

“It was…  _ intense, _ at the start,” Weiss said. Her fingers absentmindedly went up to the spot. “Am I bleeding?”

“Uh… maybe a little,” Ruby said. She got up to grab a tissue from their bedside table, but Weiss held out a hand to do it herself.

“You look exhausted,” Weiss said, and Ruby relented, not about to disagree. A surprisingly small amount of blood trickled out of Weiss’ shoulder. Ever since becoming a werewolf, she hadn’t  _ really _ experienced too many physical wounds besides the occasional scrape or papercut. The bite mark on her shoulder stopped bleeding after a minute or so thanks to her supernatural healing, but the deep, angry red color that stood out against her skin seemed to suggest that it would stick around for quite a while.

“Do you like it?” Ruby asked, lazily running her fingers down Weiss’ thigh, careful to avoid her  _ other _ scar.

“Yes,” Weiss said with a smile. “Well. It’s honestly rather hard to see with a mirror, but…”

“That’s fair,” Ruby laughed. Her face took on a nervous cast. “I uh… I tried to make it as low as I could on your shoulder, so it’d be easy to cover up. I’m pretty confident that most humans would just think it’s a  _ major _ hickey, but…”

“I appreciate that,” Weiss said. She gently placed the bloodied tissue next to the box on the bedside table, resolving to throw it away first thing tomorrow morning. She flopped down next to Ruby, laying her arm across her girlfriend’s shoulders. Ruby hummed deeply, and soon they were halfway under the covers, sitting up and snuggling.

“I don’t think it’ll be too hard to conceal,” Weiss said. “Especially with the season - if anything, you’ve just given me an excuse to wear some of my favorite sweaters.”

“I’m glad,” Ruby said. “And if we ever get invited to another outing with other weres around, you can just wear a bit of a low-cut top, and anyone who sees that will know that you’re spoken for.”

“Oh, right,” Weiss mused. “I forgot that that was the original purpose.”

Ruby laughed, raising an eyebrow. “Uh… yeah. I mean, I absolutely made this sexy on purpose - but besides that, why did you want me to do it in the first place, if not to prevent boys from flirting with you?”

Weiss shrugged, wincing slightly at the jolt of pain it sent through her fresh mark. “I… um… well…” her voice suddenly got very quiet. “I  _ may _ have found the concept itself intriguing, regardless as to what other weres might think. The way you described it, it seemed… rather  _ enticing.” _

Ruby let out a soft little gasp, meeting Weiss’ eyes. “Oh, my.” She circled Weiss’ knee under the covers with a finger, lazily straddling her and kissing her good shoulder. She left a few tiny nips in the flesh on her way up, stopping at Weiss’ chin. Millimeters from her ear, Ruby whispered, “Did someone forget to share that she has a bit of a  _ thing _ for biting?”

Weiss shivered as Ruby gently bit down on the shell of her ear. “I-I… um… I may not have been completely  _ aware _ of it before, but… n-now that you mention it…”

Ruby smugly laughed. She leaned down to whisper in Weiss’ ear again. “I’ll keep that in mind, Princess.”

Weiss let out a gasp as Ruby tugged at her earlobe with her teeth, a final teasing farewell before she rested back against the headboard, like nothing had happened at all.

Weiss managed to swallow thickly, collecting her racing heartbeat. She looked over to find an  _ incredibly _ smug smile on Ruby’s face, stumbling over her words.

“Y-you... you’re  _ very _ smooth. When did you get so smooth like that?”

Ruby chuckled softly, then looked away, a bit melancholy. “Honestly? I was always kinda like this, underneath it all - it’s just that before, I was… holding back, I guess.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it was still early on in our relationship. I know that we took things rather…  _ quickly,  _ in the emotional sense, but I didn’t want to rush it physically, especially because I’m the first girl you’ve ever dated. I’ve picked up a thing or two, I just wanted to be  _ really _ careful with the things I said and did until I was sure that you’d be okay with it. Or at least until I was sure that you’d let me know right away if you weren’t.”

“Well of course I would,” Weiss said adamantly. “I promised you that I would, right?”

Ruby smiled. “I know, and I appreciate that  _ so  _ much, honestly.” She shrugged again. “I just… I guess that now, I’ve reached a point where I feel comfortable letting go with you. I now know you well enough to be confident that I won’t accidentally hurt you.” She met Weiss’ eyes, her bright, beautiful silver orbs still taking Weiss’ breath away. “And… you  _ trust _ me.” She shook her head, as if she still didn’t believe it. “You trust me  _ so much _ and I think that that’s finally made me be able to really trust myself.”

Weiss was speechless at the admission. She was desperately trying to think of a response that could  _ hope _ to match such naked honesty when tears started to well up in Ruby’s eyes. 

“Ruby? What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

The gorgeous girl that Weiss somehow had been granted the privilege to love softly nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just…” she sniffled, wiping away a little tear. “I really,  _ really _ love you, Weiss. I love you  _ so much _ and I can’t describe how happy I am with you.”

If Weiss hadn’t already been completely head-over-heels for Ruby, the sheer adoration and love on her face would have done her in right then and there.

“Oh, Ruby,” she said, letting out the tiniest little laugh. She hugged Ruby’s head to her chest, Ruby’s furry ears folding down to lightly brush against Weiss’ collar bones. “I love you too. You make me  _ so _ happy and I honestly can’t imagine how terrible my life would be without you.”

* * *

After another half hour or so of snuggling - somehow, it was now one o’clock in the morning - the pair had finally changed for bed, now curled up together under the covers. Ruby was on her back, Weiss’ head tucked serenely into her chest - it was apparently her favorite spot. Ruby thoughtfully stroked her hair, staring up at the darkened ceiling.

“Hey, Weiss?”

“Mm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Weiss picked her head up, rolling to lie on her chest, directly on top of Ruby. She rested her chin on her hands, leaving them on Ruby’s breasts - she now felt comfortable doing so, and Ruby didn’t exactly mind, either.

“What is it?”

Ruby shrugged, a bit nervous. “I… a bit ago, you said that you think your life would be terrible if you hadn’t met me.”

Weiss blinked, unsure of where this was going. “I did, yes. I meant it.”

“R-right,” Ruby said, blushing. “I just… when you said that… did you mean  _ me, _ or was it…” she sighed, just resolving to spit it out. “Was it just because I Turned you?”

Weiss stopped, her face falling - she looked almost a little insulted. Carefully, she reached out a hand, softly cupping Ruby’s cheek.

“Of  _ course _ not, Ruby. I love you for  _ so much more _ than just that.”

“O-okay,” Ruby said, nodding thankfully. “I just… I guess I was worried that any old wolf could have done what I did. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I… I think so,” Weiss said, nodding. She sat back a little, pushing Ruby’s hair out of her eyes. “Here, let me explain.”

“I  _ like _ being a werewolf. In the grand scheme of my life, it’s still relatively new, and I know that I have a lot of things to learn before I become as competent as you and the rest of our Pack.”

_ Our Pack. _

Ruby smiled at the phrase, nodding for Weiss to continue. 

“Even without that, though, I still really love it. I can’t complain about the super-healing, and while hiding my tail and everything can be a bit annoying sometimes, having you or Yang or Blake scratch my ears is probably one of the absolute best feelings in the world, and I think that every human should be terribly jealous.”

Ruby laughed.

“Plus, I  _ love _ running in my wolf, and while full moons are still a lot, I’m starting to really enjoy them. I have no choice but to put away all of my homework for the evening and spend a night out in the woods with the three people I love more than anyone else in the world.”

Ruby just nodded faintly. “I feel a ‘but’ coming on.”

Weiss nodded back, confirming her suspicion. “But, even without  _ all _ of that - long before I knew that my life would be this way, before I even  _ imagined _ that you could Turn me into a werewolf and we could have this amazing, wonderful found family that makes it so even  _ strangers _ understand and recognize what the four of us mean to each other… back when we were just two college freshmen who lived together and hung out all the time…” Weiss blushed. “I fell for you, Ruby Rose. I honestly fell  _ pretty hard _ and while I wouldn’t trade my lycanthropy or my Pack for anything, that’s not what made me want to be with you.”

Ruby just raised an eyebrow, begging the obvious question. Weiss smiled.

“I fell in love with you because of how  _ kind _ you were, Ruby. You cared about me so much, even from the very first day when you asked if I wanted to have dinner with you and your sister, because we didn’t have groceries. From basically the moment we met, you were so open and friendly and  _ kind _ that it took my breath away. You treated me like your friend - even like a member of your  _ family _ \- without ever waiting for me to ‘earn’ it. Your kindness, your respect, your  _ love… _ they were just freely given, and that made them infinitely more valuable to me.”

Weiss looked down at her and smiled again. “So no, Ruby. I didn’t fall in love with you because you were a werewolf, because you Turned me, or even because you were so willing to protect me from my father.” She leaned forwards, pulling Ruby into a soft, tender kiss before continuing. “I fell in love with you because of  _ who you are _ \- and I’m certain that I would still want to be with you, regardless as to whether you were human, werewolf, vampire, or any other kind of creature there is. I fell in love with  _ you, _ Ruby Rose - and I’ll continue to love you, no matter what you turn out to be.”

Ruby was utterly breathless - no one had ever said something like this about her before. She just stared into Weiss’ warm blue eyes, wondering how in the world she’d gotten so lucky. Ruby kissed her again, gently pulling her down so that their foreheads could press against each other.

“I love you too, Weiss - and I would love you even if you’d stayed a human, or if you’d become a vampire, or anything else in the world. I’m sorry if you felt like I was testing you or something like that - I just… I guess I was doubting myself a little bit, but you’ve definitely shown that I was just being stupid, because…  _ wow, _ I think that’s the most incredible thing that anyone’s ever said to me. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Weiss murmured, kissing her forehead before sliding down to tuck her head into Ruby’s shoulder. “And, for the record, you weren’t being stupid. It’s  _ okay _ to doubt yourself sometimes, and I know that you weren’t trying to make me ‘prove’ myself. You were just worried that you weren’t enough, and that I had to be staying with you for reasons beyond just yourself.” She looked up at Ruby. “Is that it?”

“Uh… you kinda hit the nail on the head, yeah.”

Weiss kissed her cheek. “I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. Your fears aren’t  _ silly, _ but I promise, they’re unfounded. I love you for you - being a werewolf is just the cherry on top.”

Ruby hugged Weiss tightly, expressing her gratitude for all that she was worth.

“You… you’re pretty amazing, you know that?”

Weiss laughed. “I know. And you’re just as amazing, yourself.”

Ruby stared up at the ceiling, the dumb grin on her face about a mile wide.

“Now, like I said, I love you  _ very _ much, but it’s past one in the morning, and we have a plane to catch.” Ruby laughed, scratching at Weiss’ ears a bit. She felt Weiss cup her cheek, pulling her down so that their eyes could meet. “Are you okay going to bed now?”

Ruby smiled, kissing her forehead. “Yeah - I’m more than okay. Thank you.”

Weiss blushed. “You’re welcome.”

The two of them snuggled up together, and it wasn’t long until Weiss drifted off, her breaths light and even. Ruby still frankly had no idea what she’d done to deserve the incredible young woman in her arms - how, of all the infinite universes across the grand cosmos, she’d ended up in the one where the most amazing person in the world was fast asleep on her chest. She couldn’t imagine how improbable it was - how many other realities there were, where she and Weiss never met, never lived together, never fell in love. In the grand scheme of things, it was almost statistically  _ impossible _ that she would be so lucky as to end up here, in a spare bedroom on the second floor of a little house in Mantle, with Weiss Schnee asleep in her arms.

But Ruby did know one thing for certain. Now that she  _ was _ here, now that things had all happened the way that they had and she’d somehow ended up with the privilege to hold this wonderful, beautiful girl…

There was no way Ruby was ever letting go.

* * *

“Hey, sorry, we’re ready to head to the airport!” Weiss called, trudging down the stairs with her bulky suitcase. “Thanks again for driving us...”

She stopped when she looked upon the somber crowd.

Robyn and Winter were facing them, their arms crossed with apprehension. May held Joanna and Fiona tightly on the couch, each leaning into her embrace with worried expressions. Whitley was at the far end of the room, leaning against the wall. His eyes glazed over while he stared a hole in the floor.

Ruby perked up from setting her suitcase down on the stairs so that it wouldn’t roll. Her face hardened at the sudden heaviness in the air, and she took Weiss’ hand in her own.

“What’s going on?” Weiss asked.

Winter finally sighed, taking a few steps forward and immediately drawing Robyn’s eyes. She wordlessly extended her scroll to Weiss, the screen already displaying a post on social media. Weiss looked at the man in the crisp white suit speaking in the preview of the video, then checked the account that had posted the announcement, and finally let out a quick, stunted gasp when she read the text in the post.

“What is it?” Ruby asked, unable to read it from where she was standing.

Weiss let out a laborious, bone-deep sigh before handing Winter’s scroll to Ruby.

“My father is running for mayor of Atlas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it!
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for reading The Werewolf of Beacon - when I started this fic back in January, my mind was completely blown by the positive response, even to just the first chapter. Right then and there, this became the most popular fic I've ever posted, and it means so *very* much to me that you've now made it here.  
> When I started this fic, I was a senior in college living on-campus, with few worries other than graduation and what would come after it. Now, eight months later, I'm in my own apartment, having just moved back after... well, March 2020. I've now graduated from college and am looking at a totally different world than what I saw when this all began. Times have most certainly changed, and will continue to, but I'm indescribably grateful for all 1,000+ of you who were here with me as I wrote this massive, massive work.
> 
> Speaking of, holy *crap* - this fic now has over 1,000 kudos, a milestone that I'm absolutely flabbergasted to reach. Technically, it's been there for a while (just after I posted the previous chapter) but I wanted to announce it here, formally: There *will* be bonus chapters to celebrate reaching 1,000. This time, I'd like to ask all of you to leave a comment with what you'd like to see. Suggest anything - scenes that must have happened, or were described in the past tense, but didn't appear in the fic (Ruby advising Blake on her crush, the Bees and Illia/Lena's double date, Ruby and Penny back in junior high school, how Jaune and Pyrrha met, the Happy Huntresses starting their relationship, Yang meeting the Belladonnas for the first time, Qrow and Tai on New Year's, etc.), scenes that you all would just want to see (Blake doing Ruby's makeup, Weiss recording herself on a blank cassette to surprise Ruby, Weiss and Ruby meeting the Belladonnas, Yang and Blake meeting Winter and Robyn, Winter/Robyn smut, etc.), or anything else that you can think of! I'll write out as many of those topics as I think I can manage, and they'll all be in the sequel fic.
> 
> If you're looking for more RWBY from me, you can check out my second RWBY fic, Scarlet Like Glass (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25920595), where the gang are a D&D party in my original adventure setting - featuring Freezerburn and Ladybug (with maybe some other ships too)! There's 3 chapters so far, and I'm very proud of it. I'm also writing a totally original piece called Of Two Worlds (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682380), as mentioned previously. I might also write a DianAkko oneshot in the future, too!
> 
> That's all for now. Thank you all so, SO much for reading over 180,000 thousand words of my gay werewolf fanfiction. Despite everything happening in the world right now, this has been an incredible era of my life that I'm never going to forget. And now that I've spent 8 months and countless hours writing about the cast of RWBY in an urban fantasy AU...
> 
> Let's do it all again. 
> 
> I'll see you in Atlas.
> 
> EDIT: Vampires of Atlas has now begun! It's the third work in this series, so please check it out, and see how this story continues!
> 
> -Red


	30. To Atlas (Vampires of Atlas Announcement and Very Silly Idea)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Vampires of Atlas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001913/chapters/68590041) is now available! I've learned that Ao3 doesn't email subscribers to a work if a *new* work has been added to a series, so I made this little update chapter to notify everyone who subscribed to the fic, but not the series. I could have made it a tiny little chapter because I've already conveyed all the information I wanted to, but... *well*... 
> 
> The following is a very dumb idea that got *very* out of hand. Please feel free to skip to VoA, that's where the actual plot of the story continues.
> 
> If you find this objectively silly concept interesting enough to read, then please enjoy. Otherwise, I'll see you in Atlas!
> 
> -R

"Oh, hey!" Ruby said. "Seems like Red finally posted the first chapter of Vampires of Atlas!"

"Well it's about time," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "It's been like _two months_ since this fic ended, and she spent a _while_ on the last chapter, too!"  
  
Hey, get off my back. I wrote 180k words of you two, much of it while I was either in college, working on a video game, or both. Lux and Vivian are taking up a lot of my time these days, but I'm still gonna keep this series going.  
  
"Wait, who are those two?" Ruby asked, interested.  
  
A very gay nature paladin and a bisexual wizard princess.  
  
Weiss's brows furrowed. "Are you referring to the same Lux and Vivian from the tiny little fic you have on here, 'Of Two Worlds?' Because that Vivian is a lesbian, not bisexual, and she's a CEO, not a princess."  
  
Yes and no. That fic is about my D&D characters of the same names, and it just kinda summarizes their backstories and the campaign (also I have like... 3 more chapters written but just zero motivation to publish them for some reason. Let me know if any of you are interested in seeing that, I guess). But the version of them that's taking up a lot of my time is a super exciting, original manuscript. I took their characters out of the context of the D&D campaign they're from, gave them different backstories which altered their characterization a lot, put them in a totally original setting with totally original characters, and then wrote over 70k words in, like... (checks watch) 3 weeks.  
  
Ruby shrugged. "Sounds cool. Is it gay?"

Ruby, read this fic. Or literally any other fic I've ever written, except I guess The Legendary Champion.  
  
Of course it's gay.  
  
"Someone's writing for an outlet," Weiss snorted.  
  
Hey, I don't exactly hear you _complaining,_ little miss "I started this fic with no friends and now I have a wonderful found family and an amazing werewolf girlfriend." You kinda got _everything_ you could've wanted, despite the trouble it took to get there.  
  
Weiss shrugged. "Point taken. Am I your self-insert character, then?"  
  
No, Ruby is. And Yang, to a much lesser extent. But I definitely still empathize with you and Blake.  
  
"Really?" Ruby asked. "But if you inserted yourself as a character into a work of fiction, wouldn't you want that character to be the one _receiving_ all of the cool supernatural stuff? Like... wouldn't your fantasy be getting Turned, as opposed to Turning someone else? I grew a lot in this fic, sure, but I'm _definitely_ not the main perspective character. Way more chapters are from Weiss' POV."  
  
That's my secret, Ruby. My fantasy is being there for the people I care about.  
  
"That's gay," Weiss said instantly.  
  
  
  
"So where can people read Vampires of Atlas?" Ruby asked.  
  
It's the third fic of this series. I'm also gonna link it in the chapter notes, except this time I'll actually use the proper HTML stuff to do it instead of just putting the link in parentheses.  
  
"I can't believe all the readers put up with you doing that for this long," Weiss laughed.  
  
To be fair to me, it took, like... _ten_ seconds of Googling.  
  
Ruby frowned. "Yeah, but... you didn't know how to embed a link in HTML? Don't you have a computer science degree?"  
  
Allegedly.  
  
"Yeah, wait, she _does_ have a CS degree!" Weiss said, pointing an accusatory finger at the extremely hilarious and attractive redheaded deity in the sky. "You made Velvet say this _whole_ thing about how people don't portray computer experts well in movies..." she paused, crossing her arms. "Also, I didn't choose to describe you like that."  
  
  
Yeah, but that's just because you've never seen me. It's all true, promise.  
  
"Didn't you _also_ have Velvet talk about mutex locks, for, like... a _while,_ in Bonus Chapter 3?" Ruby asked.  
  
I did, yeah. It was one of those interesting Computer Science Concepts(tm) that had been floating around in my head since sophomore year, so I had her talk about it because I like explaining it to people. Despite how in-depth it is, the banking example really makes sense.  
  
"So... let me get this straight," Weiss said. "You explained an assembly-level aspect of multithreaded programming to a fanfiction audience, just because you felt like it..."  
  
With you so far.  
  
"But you didn't know how to embed a link in HTML?"  
  
My degree's in programming, not webdev. I never learned HTML.  
  
"That's not what your _resume_ _saaaays..."_ Ruby called, singsongy.  
  
Ugh. I mean... I _could_ learn HTML. I knew a lot of syntax once, and it's a really widespread language so there's probably tons of documentation. Listen, I didn't come here for you two to judge me, I came here to make a simple update chapter -  
  
"And then you got a dumb, fourth-wall-breaking idea, thought it would be fun, and here you are at 9:28 PM, with no shirt or socks because the radiator's on, writing this..." Ruby trailed off, squinting up at the sky. "Wait - you're writing this _in_ Ao3? _Directly???"_

Weiss let out a horrified gasp. "You _monster!_ Just use a google doc!"  
  
I _do,_ usually! I thought this would be really quick and easy but then I kept getting ideas for what you guys could say and now it's... uh...  
  
"You don't have access to a word count function in here, do you?" Weiss asked smugly.  
  
Shut up. Why are you guys omniscient right now, anyways?  
  
"Well, you _did_ kinda make us that way, for the joke," Ruby shrugged. "What, did you think we _weren't_ gonna dunk on you?"

You have me there.  
  
"Can we stay like this in Vampires of Atlas?" Weiss asked. "I'm sort of enjoying the feeling of infinite knowledge about my story and its author."  
  
Absolutely not. This isn't even canon.  
  
"But the bonus chapters are?" Ruby asked.  
  
More or less. Definitely chapter 2, it's slightly relevant to the plot and explains some vampire mechanics. I was originally just gonna write Winter and Robyn doing soft and sexy things together, but -

 _"Please_ do not make me think about my sister doing 'sexy things,'" Weiss groaned.  
  
It would seem that your omniscience has turned out to be a curse.  
  
"Ugh. I hate monkey's paws."  
  
Eh, they're fun literary devices. Anyways, I was _supposed_ to do just some fluffy and soft interaction between them, a cute little one-off where Winter's heart starts beating for the first time - which is probably the thinnest metaphor in this entire series, and I'm okay with that. But partway through I decided to apparently do some worldbuilding because it fit in so perfectly, and now it's stuck there.  
  
"Nice planning," Ruby remarked.  
  
Listen, I usually walk in with a vague outline of the plot and then just let you two, and everybody else in this fic, say the things they'd say and do the things they'd do. Sometimes the choices you make totally alter where I was originally going, but it's such a cool idea and so in-character that I keep it and alter the overall plot of the fic as a result.  
  
"So, Ruby and I... and I guess everybody else... we're just voices in your head that try to tell our own stories, and you transcribe them, like an ancient Greek poet being granted very literal divine inspiration from a Muse?" Weiss asked.  
  
More or less. I mean, I have _some_ control - watch:  
  
"Pumpernickel!" Ruby blurted. She tilted her head, scratching behind an ear. "Huh. What does that mean, again?"  
  
My ADHD brain refuses to tell me, and I don't wanna look it up. But anyways, most of the time, I don't know _exactly_ what you girls are gonna say until you say it. I just know, _generally,_ where things are gonna go, and then your story tells itself.  
  
Weiss hummed. "Do you edit?"  
  
Extensively. But almost _exclusively_ as I go. Once something's written, it feels _written,_ and changing it - even for the better! - is weirdly difficult for me. I guess it's a handy style for chapter-by-chapter fanfiction, though.  
  
"When you try and publish that manuscript, your editor's gonna _hate_ you," Ruby grinned.  
  
With another person's edits, it's different.  
  
Probably.  
  
"For their sake, I hope so," Weiss said.  
  


  
  
There was a pause, as I re-read what I had so far.

"Ugh, don't narrate your _own_ actions," Ruby said. "It's already weird when you do it for us."

"I agree," Weiss said. "Can't you just let us talk, and remove all of the things around it, like that 'Weiss said?'"  
  
I'm just used to it. And this way, people know which one of you is talking.  
  
"You could just preface our statements with 'R:' and 'W:' or something," Ruby offered.  
  
Ugh, are you kidding? I have _standards._  
  
Weiss looked up at the sky with her arms crossed. "You've spent like an hour writing this _very_ dumb joke. And when you read it back later, it was more like _two_ hours."  
  
Not the whole hour. I also ate a pizza.  
  
"You're out of milk," Ruby said.  
  
Thank you. I know.  
  
"Have you run out of silly jokes, yet?" Weiss asked, bored.  
  
Meh, I'm on my way. Is there anything else you two wanna ask me, before this weird chapter ends and you forget all of it?  
  
Ruby thought for a moment. "You said that Winter's heart beating again was a metaphor. Are there any other metaphors in here?"  
  
There's a few. I don't get to control how people interpret my art, so I make it very carefully and do my best not to imply things that are bad or offensive. But some of them _are_ definitely intentional. For the record, it's _totally_ valid if my audience doesn't see them, or disagrees - they're all _absolutely_ entitled to their own impressions, each of which is just as valuable as mine - but if you two are curious, I can share a few things I implied on purpose.  
  
"Go for it," Weiss said.  
  
So, obviously, being a werecreature in this universe had to be a metaphor for _something._ It's a rather vague, imperfect comparison, obviously, but in general I thought of the _concept_ of being a werecreature as an allusion to being LGBT+, most especially being trans. Maybe it's something you kinda always knew you were, maybe it's a sudden, intense realization you have later on in life, and then you have to come to terms with it while you balance the rest of your day-to-day. Either way, it's this aspect of yourself, which often can't be easily observed (at least by most people), but is entirely intrinsic to who you are. Sometimes you may have to hide it for your own safety, but you hopefully have a group of very close friends, people like you. And when you're with them, you can just let go and be yourself. Maybe you and the other members of that group were all a little lonely, in your own ways, so you came together and formed a big, mutually supportive found family - one that you value just as much as, and perhaps even _more_ than your biological ones.  
  
"Wow..." Ruby said. "When you put it like _that..."  
  
_Yeah. In the interest of total honesty, the comparison was _never_ so well-thought-out and eloquent until I transcribed it just now, but I generally knew what I was dong - at least in that respect.  
  
"Huh," Weiss said. "This dumb idea of yours got... weirdly wholesome."  
  
Eh, I dunno. I got weirdly nostalgic for this silly journey you two have taken, and I'm really, really excited to see what everybody thinks about the way that things kick off in Atlas.  
  
Also, it's just been a weird day. I tried to finish up the first chapter and post it, but I suddenly got messages from like 3 different people while I was doing it, then my glasses fogged up and just wouldn't get clean for some reason, then they put Sephiroth in Smash Ultimate...  
  
Ruby blinked. "Wait, seriously?"  
  
Yeah. I mean... truly _a_ _nything_ can happen, after Steven Minecraft.  
  
"Does he look fun?" Ruby asked.  
  
Probably. I mean, Cloud's entire kit is "besides Limit, the only thing I have going for me is my massive disgusting anime sword hitboxes," and then in walks Sephiroth like "hey idiot, guess how _my_ kit works?" And his anime sword hitboxes look even bigger and even more disgusting. But I'm worried he might be designed closer to Byleth and her massive sourspots, especially because he doesn't seem to move _that_ fast in the air. Honestly, I feel like 10% miffed that every DLC character since Joker hasn't been anything resembling a glass cannon fastfaller, because that's my general playstyle.  
  
"At this point, I'd imagine you're driving away your core audience of women who love women and read RWBY fanfiction," Weiss said. "From what I remember, the online Smash community has a single-digit number of women to begin with."  
  
I'd be amazed (and very grateful!) if any of them have read this far. But you do make a good point - I think I'm just rambling now. If you actually have made it to this point, thank you, this was a silly joke that went on _way_ too long. But I had an absolute blast writing it, so I hope that you at least exhaled air from your nose a little bit faster a few times when you read it.  
  
That's all from me, and from these two - at least until we return to canon. I sincerely hope you enjoy Vampires of Atlas, and I'm gonna do my best to continue it over the holidays. Wherever you are, I hope that you are safe, happy, and loved, and thank you very, _very_ much for reading.  
  
  
"Oh!" Ruby yelled out, delaying the ending. "The 1000 kudos bonus chapter is on the way! She's just lazy and hasn't written it yet!"  
  
"She read all of their comments and put a list of her favorite ideas in her phone," Weiss said. "Give her _some_ credit, at least."  
  
Thanks, you two. Remind me to never let you be this omniscient again.  
  
Ruby pouted. "Not even for a bonus chapter?"  
  
Only if this idea somehow becomes popular, and they really, _really_ want it. Which I doubt.  
  
"They've surprised you before," Weiss said with a smirk.  
  
That's most certainly true. Either way, thank you all _very_ much for reading, and I can't wait to see what you think of Vampires of Atlas!  
  
  
  
-Ruby, Weiss, and Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Vampires of Atlas](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001913/chapters/68590041)
> 
> As a side note, every single word of this is completely true, and feel free to take from that what you will. Thank you *so* much for reading, and please, go and read the actually interesting and well-edited chapter that I posted a few hours ago. Despite everything, though, I'm weirdly proud of this, so thanks for making it to the end!
> 
> -R


End file.
